Standing Alone
by TrackerJackson
Summary: In the 34th Hunger Games, 24 tributes go in and one is left standing alone. Will the victor be yours? ***SYOT CLOSED*** Please submit tributes! Rated T for Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! As most of you should know, I am currently in the middle of another story, "If Only" (And you should all go and read it!) but I decided to also start another fic. I know these are done a lot, but I thought it might be fun to do an SYOT! Unlike a lot of the fics, this won't be a quarter quell, just a regular Hunger Games. Although I don't think anyone would call the Hunger Games 'regular'. Ladies, gentlemen, and tributes… welcome to the 34****th**** Games!**

**Disclaimer: This is Suzanne Collin's world; I just like to play in it. **

I will have two weeks for tribute submissions, and at that point, I will write the rest of the tributes myself (although they won't be as good, so you should send tributes in.) You may submit up to three tributes, although PM me if they are bloodbath tributes, and I will let you submit more. Be as detailed as you can when you fill out the form, and try to have fun. Please no one who is _identical_ to any canon character, because those are no fun to write.

Tribute Form 

Name/ any special origin of the name:

Nickname:

Gender:

Age:

District:

Face (Hair, Eyes, Nose, Mouth…):

Body:

Other defining features (like Katniss and her braid):

Family (be detailed):

Friends (be detailed):

Do they have a Job? If so, what:

Hobbies:

Status (Wealthy, Poor, Average):

Background (be very detailed):

Reaped/ Volunteered:

Reaction to Reaping/Volunteering:

Training:

Token:

Personality (please also have the tribute possess some negative attributes):

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Strategy:

Will they be in an alliance?:

Interview angle:

Chariot/Interview outfit:

Stylist:

Mentor (I will take the best one from each district):

Prep Team (include the names and a short description of the three prep team people):

Bloodbath (yes/no):

Anything Else:

**A/N: I'll start writing as soon as I get a D1 girl, and in that chapter I will say what spots have been filled. I expect these to go quickly, so please hurry! PM me if you have any questions, and good luck!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	2. Have One Friend so You Won't Stand Alone

**A/N: This is my first chapter! The tribute was created by the wonderful writer, A-Tribute-Called-Sarah, and you should all go and review her stories. If you still want to submit a tribute, here is the list of tributes.**

District One-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Taken

District Two-

Girl- **Free**

Boy- Taken

District Three-

Girl- **Free**

Boy- **Free**

District Four-

Girl- **Free**

Boy- **Free**

District Five-

Girl- Taken

Boy- **Free**

District Six-

Girl/Boy: **Free**

District Seven-

Girl/Boy: **Free**

District Eight-

Girl- Taken

Boy- **Free**

District Nine-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Taken

District Ten-

Girl/Boy: **Free**

District Eleven-

Girl- **Free**

Boy- Taken

District Twelve-

Girl/Boy- **Free**

**Remember to submit tributes! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter One**

**-Pulchra Gemstone-**

I wake up at dawn, my favorite time of day. Today is especially special for me: This is the dawn of the reaping. I leap out of bed, pull on some black leggings, a tight green shirt the color of my eyes, and lace up my black tennis shoes. Last but not least, I tuck my diamond necklace under my shirt so the trainers won't see it. We are not allowed to have any sort of jewelry on in the Center.

I pull my blond hair into a high ponytail that falls in waves to just above my waist, and jog to the kitchen. I look through the cabinets, but find them empty. Mother forgot to buy groceries again. I need to start checking her actions more and more recently. When I was only a baby, my father left and took Mother's heart with him. She still has moments when she disappears and nothing I do brings me back. We don't have the best relationship, because I think she blames me for him leaving.

In the last cabinet I find three pieces of bread, and a small tin of powdered milk. I turn on the stove, toast the bread, and make the milk. I eat two pieces of the toast, drink half the milk, and leave the rest out for Mother. I don't bother saying goodbye. She hates that I train, and going in now would only initiate an argument.

There is a tap on the window, and I look outside to see Roset Tanen. I don't know if we are friends or if we are just training partners, but I like spending time with her either way. I put my empty glass in the sink, and walk outside to meet her. When she sees me, she playfully slaps my arm.

"Your freckle looks _huge_!"

I touch the small freckle above my lip. I think Roset is jealous because I'm prettier than her, and she always tries to make me feel self-conscious. Unfortunately for her, I am very comfortable in my body, and nothing she says will make me feel bad.

"Don't even try today, Roset. Are you ready for training?"

She nods. "Do you want to take the long way or the steep way?"

The Center is only about three miles from my house, so Roset and I always jog there to work on our endurance. The long way is about four miles.

"Let's take the long way. I think Ferinus is going try to have me work on sprints." Ferinus is my trainer, and also the mentor for this year's Games. If he deems me good enough to volunteer, he will by _my_ mentor.

Roset and I start jogging towards the Center, both of us focusing on our breathing. I love running—it feels so freeing, being able to leap over the pavement faster than everyone else. I run past the jeweler where I work part-time, and wave to Satin, the owner. She is always there right at opening time, even today, when the shop is closed for the reaping.

I look at the clock in the District Square and see that we are running about six-minute miles. I slow down slightly, not wanting to be too tired at training, especially because we are only halfway there. Roset notices, and slows down, but not before she insults me. "Looks like you're a little out of shape!"

I don't even dignify her with a response. About fourteen minutes later, we run up to the door. I'm not very tired at all, but Roset is breathing hard and trying to hide it. I look over, and see her ponytail has come loose, as usual. "Stand still for a second and let me fix your hair."

One thing Roset cannot deny is my skill with hair. Many of my relatives work in the Capital as stylists, doing hair and makeup. Although I work as a jeweler, I want to be a stylist when I grow up. My nimble fingers twist and turn Roset's light brown hair into an elaborate braid before we walk in the doors.

A cool wave of air rushes through the door and blows my ponytail off my shoulders slightly. The air condition relaxes me. District One is always warm and sunny, and it's sometimes nice to be in the cold air.

As soon as I step in the room Ferinus walks up. "What are you doing standing around like a Twelver? Get over and start working with those swords!"

"Good to see you too, Ferinus." I laugh, and job over to the sword station. Ferinus won the 29th Games, and hasn't quite left the arena. When he isn't flashing back to his district partner dying he can be very intense, sort of in-your-face. He can be scary to people who doesn't really know him, because he gets his point across by yelling, but I've known him long enough to know that he genuinely cares for his mentees.

I select my favorite sword, a foil sword with a solid gold handle and shimmering emeralds lining the sides of the handle. I slash the blade quickly along a line of dummies, hitting the vital organs and opening their necks. I warm up for a few more minutes before Ferinus walks over.

He wordlessly grabs his foil sword, completely silver sword with a blue sapphire set in the very tip of the hilt. I've heard rumors that say he had the sword made especially for his district partner, Sapphire, who was killed in the Career Alliance Breakup, or CAB as District One calls it.

He establishes priority by lunging first, but I parry him with a casual flick of my sword. My parry goes too wide, and he is able to jab at my chest quickly. "You need to work harder! If that happened in the bloodbath, you would be the _first_ tribute to die! Step it _up_!"

The next round I establish priority and he parries me. I try a trick he taught me last week: catching his foil in the handle of mine, and twisting it out of his grip. His foil clatters to the floor, and I can easily press my foil to his jugular. "Was that any better?" I smirk playfully as he bends down to pick up the sword.

His short, flattened down hair is not long enough to hide the small smile of pride, and the glimmer in his emerald-green eyes at my success. "I see you were paying attention last week. Good job, that was acceptable."

I don't push him, although I know he is proud of me. Instead, I cartwheel over to the bow and arrow station, working on my agility and flexibility. By the time I get to the rack of bows, I am dizzy, but I try not to show it. Noticing that my necklace had slipped out, I tuck it back in my shirt before Ferinus notices.

I'm not great at archery, but I've been practicing and getting better. I slip the bracer on my arm, and grab my self-bow, made from only one piece of wood. I keep my own arrows at the station, sleek black shaft with emerald tips. I string the bow and aim for the target. I hit the ring by the bulls-eye: nine points.

I practice for a few more times, hitting the bulls-eye about half the time, and only getting less than eight points once. Ferinus doesn't say anything. This wasn't my best day with archery, but it was not bad either.

For the rest of the day I practice knives, axes, and traps. Traps are the only non-weapon skill I have acquired over the years. I know only the basics traps, jump traps, foothold traps, but Ferinus insists that it is a smart strategy to have multiple skills.

I am not fantastic with strategies, I focus more on just the skill aspect, but Ferinus has come up with the trap. He says I'm going to join the Careers, and then just survive and kill everyone else until I win.  
Ferinus points to the swimming pool. "Do you want to swim today, or just go home and get ready for the reaping?"

I'm not great with water. I can't swim, and I don't even like heavy rain. "I think I have to go get ready for the reaping."

"Alright, go on home, but jog so you at least get some more exercise. Dress nice just in case."

Ferinus and I have decided that if I get reaped, I will not let anyone take my place, but I won't volunteer for the Games. I walk to the door, but, noticing Roset working with knives, I snatch a small dagger. Stealing is strictly prohibited in the Center, and Roset, who was supposed to be the girl to volunteer this year, will now be prohibited from participating in the Games. I don't know why I like to cause mischief. I think it has something to do with the fact that there is so much trouble in my life, I sometimes just want to unload it on someone else.

I start to jog home, but I stop at my other friend's house, Amyth Jouna. Amyth is a loud, sporty, and fun person to be around. Whenever I'm sad, he can always find a way to cheer me up when Mother has one of her fits, while remembering dad. Sometimes, when I don't want to leave the house in fear that she will commit suicide, Amyth can always find a way to get me out.

I knock on his door, and he opens it. "Hey Peach!"

Amyth is the only one who calls me Peach, everyone else just calls me Pulchra. Even though I know that Pulchra means beautiful, I still prefer Peach. "'Sup Amyth!"

"I'm getting ready for the reaping. Avery was over a few minutes ago, and he won't shut up about the 'honor of volunteering'. By the time he left, I was about ready to unleash Kay and Kel on him."

Kay and Kel are Amyth's two adorable twin sisters. They act like perfect little angles when I'm there, but Amyth insists they are devilish whirlwinds of pure energy.

Avery Reid is the boy who is going to volunteer this year. He won the bloodbath simulator between the other five boys who wanted to volunteer, and he gets the honor of volunteering. He is a rather cocky boy, and I could see why Amyth would want him to meet Kay and Kel.

Amyth invites me inside, but I have to decline. "Sorry, but I have to go and get ready for the reaping. I already left training early, and if Ferinus sees me here he will get mad. I'll meet you back here in about an hour after I'm ready, if you want?"

He nods. "That sounds good. I'll see you soon. Bye!"

I jog the rest of the way home, and try to sneak through the kitchen. I'm not quite quiet enough, and Mother walks through the door and into the kitchen. She sniffs the air. "I see you were training. I hope you have enough time to get ready for the reaping."

Already in a bad mood from my small breakfast, I say the one thing that could set her off. "Dad would have been fine with it." Immediately I regret saying that to her. She goes into one of her fits, rocking back and forth on the ground, holding her head, and shaking. She mumbles Vine, his name, over and over.

I never know what to do in these situations. I run over to her, and awkwardly pat her shoulder. "It's alright. He wasn't worth it. You're better than this."

Slowly, she begins to come back to reality, stands up, and dusts herself off. I hate it when she has fits. I think it is one of the many reasons Mother and I have a fairly stolid relationship with each other. She uncomfortably thanks me, and she goes to her room to get ready for the reaping.

Doing the same as her, I walk over to the bathroom, and slip off my training clothes. One luxury about being close to the Capital is the hot water privileges. Anytime we want hot water, we have it at the twist of a handle.

The water pounds over my back, relaxing my muscles after the workout. I let myself relax for a few minutes before I lather up with cinnamon soap and apple scented shampoo and conditioner. It smells like a drink Amyth's dad brought back from his job at the Capital: Cinnamon apple cider. I only was able to drink one glass before Roset drank the rest.

Stepping out of the shower, I admire my six-pack. I've been working on it for years, and I remember how proud I was when it finally became defined.

I have fair skin, marred only by the freckle above my lip. I grab some clothes from my room, and go back to the bathroom.

My reaping outfit is fairly simple: A tight, white dress to show off my body with an emerald trim, to accentuate my eyes. I paired it with a pair of emerald heels. Since I won't be volunteering, I don't have to be able to run as fast towards the stage.

It took three years of working at the jeweler to finally be able to afford this outfit. I've decided I will wear this outfit for both of my last reapings, so I don't have to spend any more money than I need to.

Doing my hair and makeup is the fun part. While I normally just pull my long hair into a high ponytail, I braid it for the reaping. I then swipe a little bit of green eye shadow I received as a joint birthday gift from Roset and Amyth. I dab on a little bit of water onto my already pink lips to make them shine, and pinch my cheeks to give them a rosy glow.

I critically study my reflection in the mirror, and, after a little thought, I twist my braid into a bun on top of my head. Satisfied, I stroll out the door without saying goodbye to Mother. She will be with the main crowd in the Square.

I walk to Amyth's house, careful not to smudge my makeup or tangle my hair. I don't plan on being on camera, but I still want to look good just in case. When I apply to be a stylist, they may look back at the tapes of past reapings to see me, and I want to look my best.

The chances of me being reaped are slim to none. I do take a lot of tereasse every year, but many girls take more to increase their chances of being reaped. I've always slightly hoped I would be reaped, so I could have a chance to experience the Games.

Amyth opens the door before I have a chance to knock. "You ready? Nice suit!"

Amyth looks proudly down at his suit, which he bought this year. It is coal black with a light blue shirt, the color of his eyes, barely peeking out from under the sleeves. "Nice dress! It really brings out the color in your eyes!"

I feel myself blushing, mingling with my still-pink cheeks. "Thanks! Are you ready for the reapings?"

Unlike me, Amyth has no interest in the reapings. He has trained, but only to later become a Peacekeeper like everyone else in his family. He shrugs. "I don't really care. I know who will volunteer: Roset and Avery.

I remember the Bloodbath Simulation that took place a few months ago. Neither Amyth nor I took place in it, but Roset came home stained with the blood of five other dead females, and the right to volunteer this year for the Games.

I wonder if anyone noticed the missing knife I took from the Training Center? I purposefully made it look like Roset took it. I hope they did find it—I personally think her ego could stand to be lowered a couple of notches.

When we get to the Square, Amyth and I check in, and are then separated into our separate gender and age groups. We share one last look, and I know what it says. _Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor._

As soon as I step in the seventeen-year-old section, Roset scuttles up to me, her fancy mascara running down her face and dripping on her gold-threaded dress. "They think _I_ stole a knife from the Center, and they said I couldn't volunteer this year! What am I going to do? It's not they'd let someone like _you_ volunteer—you're not good enough!"

Nice job Roset. Even when you are distressed, you still find a way to slip in an insult.

"It's okay. I'm sure they'd let you volunteer next year. This way, you have another year to train and get stronger."

She sniffs, momentarily tranquillized. "You're probably right. I just hope that the bitch who volunteers dies in the bloodbath."

Satin Chrome, our mayor and sister of one of our victors, Cashmere Chrome, takes the stage. Our district immediately quiets and listens intently. Even though we've heard the same speech every year, the Games are so special in District One everyone holds on to every word.

Satin steps up to the microphone and clears her throat. "Attention District One! It's our favorite time of year again… the Hunger Games!"

The crowd goes crazy, cheering and clapping until Satin starts talking again. "While the Hunger Games are a time of festivity and celebration, we also must remember why we have them in the first place. The great country of Panem was made of a shining Capital surrounded by thirteen loyal districts. The Capital was kind to us, and gave us anything we wanted. However, some of the other district thought it would be wise to rise up against the hand that fed us."

Boos and hisses erupt, and angry cries of "Stupid Twelvers!" could be heard across the Square.

Satin continues. "In spite of the uprising, the Capital was merciful. They annihilated District Thirteen to send a message, but then they created the Games to give us a chance to earn money and fame for our district!"

More cheers from the crowd.

"We are here today, not only to bring honor to District One, but to bring entertainment and glory to the _wonderful Capital!_"

Satin ends her speech in a shout, and the crowd erupts in uncontrollable cheers. The volume rises as our escort, Felix, steps out onto the stage.

Felix is a rather average man, as escorts go. His hear is jet black and he has dyed the tips a golden color, the same color as his shirt. He has golden eyes that I think have been surgically altered and a small golden stencil tattoo of butterfly on his wrist; which it odd for a man.

I'm assuming he is not from the Capital, and he is from District Two. I've heard that people who don't want to volunteer for the games, work in the mines, or become a Peacekeeper have the chance to become an escort for the Games.

I would be terrible at that job. I am what some people refer to as scatterbrained. I have trouble coming up with strategies, and I am very disorganized.

Felix waves to the crowd, initiating another wave of cheers and applause and revealing his tattoo. He saunters over to the girl's bowl, and plucks a slip of paper from the bowl. "The girl tribute will be mentored by Ferinus Goant, and escorted by me. Her name is…"

The audience howls with indignation at the suspense he is putting us through.

"Pulchra Gemstone!"

Before I even have a chance to process the fact that _I'm going into the Hunger Games!_ I hear a cry of anger from the left of me. Not surprisingly, it's Roset. "You can't be reaped! This was my year! You'd better let someone volunteer for you!"

I don't even look at Roset, I just put on my steely face and walk up to the stage with practiced, measured steps. Felix places his hand with the tattoo on the small of my back, and guides me to the center of the stage. This is the time where he will ask for volunteers, and I know I can't accept any.

"Is there any girl in District One who is interested in—?"

I cut him off before he can finish. "I accept my position as the tribute of District One!" I look out at the District: The shining homes, the golden outfits, and the piles of jewels. Then, I look at the part of the District, where I live. I see the small, one-story houses, the dirt roads, and the small wooden restaurant the richer people in this side of the District eats at.

I suddenly realize what kind of life I will life if I stay in District One: a life full of being trodden down upon by the richer class. A life where, no matter what I do, I will never be the perfect daughter Mother wants to be. I know I have made the right choice in not allowing volunteers.

I zone out as Avery volunteers for a little boy—Stone, I think, and I only allow myself to focus during the handshake. I know what will happen in the hour allowed for goodbyes: Roset will be too mad to say goodbye and Mother won't care, or she will be in one of her fits.

I know Amyth will come, and we will spend the entire hour together. I may be poor, but I have one true friend—and that's good enough for me.

**Please don't forget to review! Each review makes me want to update faster! If I get no reviews, I will update this in a week. If I get one, I'll upload in six days, if I get two= five days… you get the point :D The least number of days I can upload is three. I hope to see you all in three days :D**

**~TrackerJackson**


	3. Tribute List

**A/N: Hey guys, Katie here. Sorry about the long wait and sorry for making you wait a little more. As most of you probably know, it's exam week at my school, and I am spending all my time studying. As soon as this week is over I will be free a lot more, and I will post Annabelle Greene's reaping, but for now, I'm going to need a little break. This is the most updated tribute list I have so far. Please review/PM me if you see a mistake or if you just want to submit a tribute.**

District One

Girl- Pulchra Gemstone (A-Tribute-Called-Sarah)

Boy- Avery Reid (IceVeinsVillian)

District Two

Girl-Hallie Reese (Wish on the Star)

Boy- Gladius (district4person)

District Three

Girl- Jocileya Jones (TheGirlfromtheSeam12)

Boy- Laércio Migon (TheGirlfromtheSeam12)

District Four

Girl- **Free**

Boy- _Reserved _(Demented Kawaii Kitten)

District Five

Girl- Annabelle Greene (allthatglitters7100)

Boy- **Free**

District Six

Girl- **Free**

Boy- **Free**

District Seven

Girl- **Free**

Boy-** Free**

District Eight

Girl- Alina Chapelier (Cricket the Clarinetist)

Boy- **Free**

District Nine

Girl- **Free**

Boy- Malone Bibidwi (Cricket the Clarinetist)

District Ten

Girl-** Free**

Boy- **Free**

District Eleven

Girl- Jasmine Brooks (Guest)

Boy- **Free**

District Twelve

Girl- **Free**

Boy-** Free**


	4. Have Someone to Trust

**A/N: So I lied; I had some free time, and I was able to update faster! Please read and review!**

**Chapter Two**

_**Have Someone To Trust**_

I have always been able to sleep through anything: storms, fighting, and the loud buzzing of the electrical wires that run outside my house. I was not, however, able to sleep last night. Today is the reaping, and the five year anniversary of my sister, Mary's reaping.

I was only seven at the time, and her death in the bloodbath tore our family apart. We were a perfect little family, my father, Augustine Green, my mom, Amelia Greene, my older brother, Jacob Greene, my eldest sister, Mary Greene, and me, Annabelle Greene.

When she died, I slipped into a deep depression. I was the closest one to her, and her death almost killed me. Then, I met Ryan. Ryan Holt is my closet friend. He is strong from working at maintenance with Dad, and he has dirty blond hair and misty green eyes. I think he is handsome, but I've never felt romantically attached to him in any way.

Whenever I'm around Ryan I feel happier, and I forget about Mary. We do everything together, except for when he works. Mom won't let me work, and I mostly stay home with her and Jacob. I envy Jacob: He is eighteen and only has to live through one more reaping. This is my first one, and I don't know if I can stand the suspense of six more.

Jacob and Dad look a lot alike. They both have light brown hair, and green eyes while Mom and I have wavy blond hair, a small nose, fair skin, and naturally rosy cheeks.

People say that the most defining feature about me is my eyes. They are a striking sapphire blue with silver flecks. My large eyes combined with my fragile build and pale complexion makes me look small and innocent.

I get out of bed at six, greeted by the traditional District Five morning: the grinding of gears and sparks as the factories scrape to a start. Mom greets me in the kitchen with a smile and an egg. "Hey Annie!" My name is Annabelle, but most people call me Annie. Ryan is the only one who calls me Belle. "Guess what Ryan brought over?"

Ryan's family has a couple of chickens, and he sometimes brings over eggs for our family. While we can afford food because of Dad's job, it is always nice for the extra help.

Mom hands me the plate. "He also said to meet him at his house after you get ready for the reaping."

"Okay, thanks Mom!" I scarf down the egg, which has some tomato, bacon, and a tiny screw lodged under a tomato. Jacob loves tinkering with a small wind-up toy from when I was a kid. Sometimes we find small bits and pieces of his projects lying around the house.

I bound over to my room, and start to get ready for the reaping. I brush out my long hair until it cascades in waves down my back. I braid a couple of strands of hair into a braid so it curves past my cheek.

I don't need to pinch my already rosy cheeks, but I do grab a small silver pencil. Dad coated an ordinary pencil with silver and ground silver dust into the lead. He told me it matches the silver flecks in my eyes. I lightly outline my eyes with the pencil and smear a very small amount of coal onto my eyelashes. My eyes stand out sharp against my pale skin, and my rosy skin matches the pink shade of my skin.

I pull a light blue dress out of my closet. It has a scoop neck collar and the hem falls to just below my knees. I slide it on, and flatten out any wrinkles with my hands. Last, but not least, I grab some silver sandals. They belonged to Mary, so they are a little big on me, but it's nice having a piece of her with me on my first reaping.

As I run out the door, I think that it might be bad luck to wear the shoes Mary was reaped in. But, I dismiss is, and run to Ryan's house.

Along the way I say hi to several people. I am well known in District Five for having a kind personality. People have described me as innocent, but I prefer to think I just have a positive outlook on life. I stop to admire a small blue flower growing on the side of the road; a rare sight in District Five. Not many things are able to grow and thrive in air so thick with smog it feels like a swimming pool.

A few minutes later I arrive at Ryan's house, with my white sandals smudged with a small amount of smoke and dust. I cough as I enter his house, and take off my dirty shoes. "Ryan! Mom told me you wanted me to come over!"

I was greeted by Albert and Tizzi, two of Ryan's little siblings. "Annie! Annie!"

I visit Ryan's house so much that all his six siblings consider me a second mother. I love to take care of them, and help cook their meals with Mrs. Holt.

I reach down and ruffle their heads. "Hey guys! Don't you look fancy?" Albert is wearing a suit that is clearly too big for him. Ryan, who is thirteen, wore it for his first reaping last year. Albert laughs, and waves his arms, letting the loose fabric fly around his wrists.

Tizzi is wearing a purple dress that cinches at the waist. It is supposed to be a flattering style in the Capital, but all it does on Tizzi is accentuate her malnourished frame.

The kids laugh, happy to be receiving attention from me. Albert, who has always been the more adventurous of the two, points to the stairs. "Ryan's up there in case you need him. He's just getting ready for the reaping."

I thank the kids, and shout a quick hello to Mrs. Holt, who is standing by the kitchen counter. She waves at me. "Hey there Annie! Did Albert tell you where to find Ryan?"

I nod. "Yeah, he did. Thanks though! Is Ryan walking to the square with you?"

"He is. Would you like to come with us?"

"Yeah, thanks!"

She waves me towards the stairs. "Go on then. I know you want to see Ryan."

I thank her again, and bound up the stairs. I knock on Ryan's door, not wanting to walk in on him changing. While Ryan and I are very close friends, I don't think either one of us want to be more than friends.

Ryan opens the door, already dressed in a snazzy suit and tie. "Handsome! Where did you get that?" Ryan's family isn't poor, but they aren't rich enough to buy clothes like that. It has tailored cuffs and the pant legs reach all the way down to his shiny shoes, an uncommon sight in District Five.

"It was Dad's. He wore it for his third reaping, but I fit it now. Mom said it would be okay if wore it this year."

"_Very_ snazzy!" I twirl around in my dress. "What do you think of my dress?"

He rubs the satiny fabric between his fingers. "I like it a lot! You will look great if…"

He trails off, not wanting to mention the reaping. He knows that I am still tender over Mary's death, and doesn't even want to think about the possibility of either one of us being reaped.

We awkwardly stand for a while before I sit on a chair by her bed. "What are Annie, Albert, August, Amelia, Alana and Alexis wearing?"

Ryan, who was born first, was lucky enough to escape his parent's humorous attempts to name all of their kids with a name that starts with 'A'.

Ryan smiles. "You already saw Annie and Albert. August is wearing a suit that is _way_ too big on him, Amelia and Alana are wearing matching green dresses, and Alexis is begging Mom to let her wear a white dress."

I laugh. White dresses are the most impractical thing here because as soon as you step outside the smog makes it a dull grey color.

Ryan and I start to talk more, but we are interrupted by the dull chime of the reaping bell sounding from the square. This gives us about ten minutes before Peacekeepers imprison and whip anyone left in the houses.

I stand up, and shakily smooth down the creases in my dress. Ryan catches my hand, and makes me look at him. "Don't worry. You have three slips in the bowl. Some people have over thirty."

Ryan's right. Even with the tereasse I took, the odds _are_ in my favor. I thank him, and we start to walk to the door. Mrs. Holt is at the base of the stairs, trying to round up all of the kids. They don't want to go to the square, and are instead trying to play freeze tag.

I walk down the stairs and take Amelia's hand. "Come on Amelia. Let's go to the square. If you stand still for an hour, I'm sure your mom will let you have a sweet when you get back."

I look at Mrs. Holt, asking for silent confirmation that what I said was okay. She nods, grateful, and Amelia and I start walking out the door. When the kids see us leaving, they clamor to be the first one out the door.

We walk briskly to the square, not wanting to be late. Mrs. Holt and the kids merge with the crowd while Ryan and I sign in and are separated into our age groups. As I walk to my pen, I say hello to several people standing around, and they give me a sad smile.

Most people in our district pity the twelve year olds, but not enough to actually volunteer when one of us gets reaped. I reach down and brush the settling layer of smog from my shoes, and wait patiently until the mayor walks out.

The mayor's large belly precedes him onto the stage. The mayor, Zintin, is a hated man. He has a large force of Peacekeepers, and he almost enjoys the whippings. He is very rich, and has never missed a single meal while the rest of his district starves on the street.

He waddles over to the microphone and introduces our escort, Tixa. She is a very bubbly woman that has been with District Five for many years. Every year she expresses her frustration to being _so close_ to a Career district, but she can never "just get that extra bump".

Tixa prances over to the microphone and thanks Zintin for the introduction. She then launches into a glorified Capital version of how the Hunger Games came to be, and I zone out.

This is my first reaping where I am eligible, and I am panicking on the inside. If I am reaped into the Games, I don't stand a chance. I am quick, and the fastest girl in my grade, but what use is running when bloodthirsty Careers have you surrounded by huge weapons?

Stella, the girl standing next to me, nudges me; Tixa is about to pick the girl tribute. She rummages around in the huge glass ball, and I can almost see my three slips in the mix. Her neon pink claws grasp a single slip, and she triumphantly pulls it out. "Who is ready to see their tribute?!"

There is a dull rumble from the crowd, more impatience than excitement. I'm trying to find Ryan in the crowd. I want to watch his expression when we both don't get reaped, because we can't get reaped because I won't get reaped.

My mind starts to blur as I almost go into a panic attack. I hear Ryan's voice in my head. "Bella it's alright. We can make it through this."

I calm enough just in time to hear the name: "Annabelle Green!"

I breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't me. If it wasn't me, then why are people still staring at me with a mixture of disgust at the Capital and pity? Then I realize: I didn't write my name as Annie Greene. They just called my name. I was just reaped. I am going to die!

I stand still in my pen, and I start to tear up. I can feel my mouth start to quiver, and I know my eyes must look huge, magnified by the un-fallen tears. My legs start to move of their own accord, and I stumble up to the stage. I climb the steps and the movement causes several tears to slide down my face.

Once I am at the center of the stage, I desperately look into the crowd for anyone who can help me. I hear my name being shouted. I look at the disturbance and see Ryan shaking and sobbing. Out of the corner of my eye I see Zintin signal the Peacekeepers, who restrain Ryan from running up to the stage.

Ryan had always been my rock; my anchor holding me back from complete depression. Have I been his rock all along too? I know he leads a hard life, having to feed a family of nine, but he always seemed to… _sure_.

I see Jacob in the crowd. He is looking up at the stage, but he is not really seeing it. He is motionless, and I am sure he is replaying Mary's reaping in his head over and over.

I stand motionless as Tixa calls the boy tribute takes his place next to me. I choose to focus on his hands as we shake. He has a firm grip and dirty fingernails, but his hand is steady. The Peacekeepers sweep me towards the door to the Justice Building, and I almost trip over the doorstep.

I sit in silence, and wait for Ryan and my family to walk in. After all, it will be the last time I see any of them ever again.

Have people to trust or you will stand alone.

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please review! (If you review, your tribute might last longer… :D) #bribery. Don't forget to submit a tribute! You can submit up to three.**

**The available districts are:**

**D5, D6, D7, D8, D11 boys!**

**Sorry, there are no longer any girls left.**

**Please review! **


	5. Not A Real Thing

**A/N: Hey guys! I got a chapter up pretty quickly, no? I have a deal with you: If you review more, your tribute might make it a little longer….. Also, I do not have any bloodbath tributes yet. The minimum I want is five. There are three open spots for tributes (D5, D6, D7 Boy), and I hope they will be bloodbath. I will have to kill two tributes in the bloodbath that have already been submitted. If you have two tributes in, and one dies in the bloodbath, I promise to let your other tribute make it a little longer. Please enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter Three

-Not A Real Thing-

The bars on the window are made of gold. I've been in here for a while; I don't quite know how long. When I came here my hair was cut to my chin, but now my snow white hair falls down almost to my chin. I know I'm twelve now; Calico, my 'handler' had me sign my reaping slips a few days ago. I haven't written anything since my family sent me here: the Center for Removed Adolescents Z.Y. The Z. Y stands for Zimbia Yinsh, the founder of the center.

The other citizens of District Eight just call it the C.R.A.Z.Y Center and I have to agree with them. I'm not offended when people call me crazy. I look slightly crazy with my pure white hair, icy sliver eyes, and pale white skin. When I was born, the doctors said I was an albino, but my eyes were the purest silver they'd ever seen. I've always been slim, due to the lack of food, but I have never been called attractive.

The slot in the side of the wall slides open to reveal a dress, which I assume I'm supposed to wear to the reaping. I study it—something about it unsettles me. I caress the silky red fabric and run my hand against the short hem. As I'm feeling the inside of the dress, my hand catches on the tag. I pull it out and read the company name: Chapelier Stitching. Immediately my mind goes blank.

I wake up in my old house. I am no longer Alina Chapelier, I am Lea Rollag. I roll off my bed and reach for the box under it. It is filled to the brim with thick needles, almost the size of my finger. I pick one up and roll it around in-between my forefinger and thumb.

Instinctively, I know that Mummy and Daddy are out at their job. I walk slowly down the stairs, still twirling the needle. I see a boy standing at the sink, taller than me, stuffing his face with biscuits and jam. How dare he take our food!

I slide across the wooden floor soundlessly until I am an arm's length behind him. "Well," I coo, tracing the cold point of the needle carelessly across his bare arm, relishing the feeling of him tensing up. "What do we have here?" He turns slowly, and looks at me.

"A-Alina? What are you doing?"

I'm starting to get annoyed. "I'm not Alina. I'm Lea. Tell me: What were you doing with my food?"

His pupils dilate ever so slightly and he starts to shake. I notice a single bead of sweat crawling down the side of his neck. I flick it away with a casual sweep of the needle. It slightly scratches the skin, and small beads of blood start working their way up the surface of his skin.

"It's me—Willy! I'm your brother!"

"LIES!" I scream and rake the needle down his arm, immediately releasing a trickle of blood. The boy screams, and I flick the needle at the side of his mouth, tearing through the lip. He screams again, and another person lifts me off of him. "Alina! Stop it!"

I claw and bite at the person holding me, but I am only able to grab at his shirt. The tag reads "Chapelier Stitching"…

I open my eyes to discover I am back in the C.R.A.Z.Y Center. Calico has told me that I sometimes flash back to earlier times; times before I came to the Center. I never remember them when I wake up, but I can always tell the difference between waking up from a sleep and waking up from a flashback.

Whatever happened in the dream made me realize why the tag bothers me. My parents, Flax and Weave, run Chapelier Stitching, and make most of the clothes in District Eight. A few years ago, when I was maybe five, they accused me of being crazy. My brother, Willy, had come home from school with horrible cuts on his arms. He accused me, but I know it was my other brother, Felipe.

I confronted Felipe after the dinner, and told him if he didn't stop hurting Willy, I'd tell Mummy and Daddy. The next morning Felipe was gone, but he left a note telling Mummy and Daddy it was all me, and I was crazy.

I was furious, but Mummy and Daddy dragged me to the District Doctor, and they started running tests on me. I showed them though—there was nothing wrong with me.

There continued to be… incidences… that always seemed to involve me. I never remembered any of it, but people kept finding the weapon or body in our house. Eventually, Mummy and Daddy sent me here. They were modified they had a black sheep in the family, and worried it would prevent Chapelier Stitching from offering its services to the Capital.

They chose the fanciest, most expensive Center to send me to, just to show they were still rich. However, my reaping dress is the first piece of Chapelier Stitching clothing I've seen in months. I've heard rumbles from maids and doctors that come by my room saying that they are going bankrupt.

I put on the dress, only to discover a small nest of wugglemares perched on the waist. I knew it! Calico and all of them are trying to kill me! My whole stay here I've insisted they search the building for wugglemares, but they always denied it. Why do people keep telling me they are not real? I see them wherever I go—clearly they exist.

I screech as loudly as I can, and fling the dress away from me. It lands is a rumbled heap, and I can hear the nest crunch with an audible _crack_! I run to the corner of my room, and cover myself with the only thing available: My blanket.

I drape it over my head and sit on the corners to prevent any wugglemares from flying under it. The bright patchwork fabric is illuminated by the light coming in through the windows, and it casts yellow, green, and blue stripes on my face.

I slide to the left to get out of the sunlight. I have hated sun since I was little; it only causes problems. I was once standing next to Spark Chand, the baker's son, and the sun caught him on fire. I could only scream as I saw the skin burn off his body. People in the district still blamed me, saying that I shoved him in the oven and laughed as he burned.

The buzzing in the room stops, and I slowly remove the blanket from my head. All the wugglemares are gone out the window.

I reach under my bed. When I came to the Center they took away my needles, even though I promised I would only use them for sewing. I don't know why people won't let me keep my needles; everyone else in the district uses them.

I do, however, keep a small box of personal possessions. I pull out something from Mummy: a tarnished silver thimble. She gave it to me the day they left me at the Center. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I know I was about eight or nine.

I remember I was at school that day. I had been talking to my best friends, Lea Rollag, when she told me that another girl, Michaela, had been spreading rumors about me. I stormed over to her, already almost in tears, and asked her why she hated me. She laughed in my face, and called me a freak. I thought I walked away from her in tears, but Mummy told another story to the people at the Center.

The teachers called her to come pick me up early, and, that day, she sent me to the Center. I caught a few words of their conversation. Mummy used the words "Psychotic," "mentally unstable," and "needles" several times, and it made me feel almost…_proud_. I was _different_. No one my age wanted to be different, but I was happy I had something so set me apart from the others.

I hurl it out the window, wanting to get it as far away from me as possible. I hate my family for what they did to me.

Now, four years later, I slip the wugglemares-free dress over my head. I may resent my parents for locking me up, but I do have to admire their perfectly crafted clothes. I slide into the matching red shoes, and knock on the door.

Calico opens it, and holds out her hand for me to take. I shrink back, untrusting of Calico after the wugglemares incident. She lowers her hand, knowing when I am in one of my 'moods'.

We start to walk to the main hall, where, I assume, we will meet up with the rest of the kids here. To my surprise, we walk directly out the door and towards the Square.

"What are you doing? Aren't we supposed to walk as a group?"

She shushes me, and continues walking without offering me an explanation. Impatient, I tug hard at her arm. "I SAID: why are we walking alone?!"

She stops, and faces me. "We thought you could handle walking alone. Everyone else has already left. If we want to get there in time, we need to keep moving."

Reluctantly, I allow her to lead me towards the Square, guide me to the sign in, and place me in my age group. She squeezes my arm, knowing that I don't like being touched on the head.

"I'll be waiting right over there after the reaping. I want you to find me, and we will walk back together."

I nod, and Calico leaves satisfied.

I wait as the roped off sections slowly fill with other children. They pack together, with no space in between each other, yet no one stands near me. It is always painfully obvious that I am the outcast in this district, and people do not hesitate to shove me away.

Mayor Gilcomb, takes the stage, and introduces our escort, Soul. He is a man in his upper twenties—or so I think. He has so many tattoos and piercings it is hard to tell. I envy the stylist who was able to work on him; the carefulness of the needle placing, the delicate balance of pressure and precision, and the thin line of blood oozing from the cut.

He prattles on about the history of the Games, the marvelous Capital, and then _finally_ reaches for the girl's slip. I have been waiting for this. I just want this to be over, so I can go back to the Center. After the reaping each year, the Center makes a special dinner for those who were eligible.

I've never seen it, but I've heard rumors of roast lamb and _real_ fruit juice. Wugglemares love fruit, so I have always been slightly scared they will arrive at the dinner, but the crowd of people would keep them away.

People are looking at me. What did I miss? The other twelve year olds, who normally keep their distance, have backed up to form an even larger circle around me. Soul's eyes roam the crowd until they land on the one person everyone is staring at: me.

I don't understand what is going on. I see Calico standing where she said she would be, next to my old family. Willy is huddling in between Mummy and Daddy, safe at nine years old. Mummy and Daddy look shocked, and I see a small smile lift the corners of Daddy's mouth.

I need to get away from this district. I mount the stage with confidence, and shake Soul's hand with an iron grip. I hear his fingers pop before he is able to pry it away. I laugh, exalted at the position of power I hold.

Soul calls up the boy tribute: A fifteen year old boy named Freddy Winston. He looks strong, but I'm sure he bleeds just like everybody else.

We are shuttled off from the stage, and into the Justice building. Once I am out of sight from Calico, I pull a thin needle from the hem of my dress. It calms me, and I kill a wugglemares on the way there. The Peacekeepers throw me in a room, and I sit in solitude. I don't expect anyone to come, except for maybe Calico.

Calico never comes. Instead, my family walks through the burnished bronze door and effulges me in a hug. I spit their hair from my mouth and try to squirm away. They back up quickly. Mummy steps forward tentatively. "Hey Honey. We're really sorry this happened to you."

I don't care what they think. I pull my needle out, and try to swipe at Mummy. She stops me, and holds out her hand. Sitting in the center of her palm is my thimble. "I found this on the walk outside the Center door. I thought you might want it back.

I hate it. I hate her. I hate the thimble. I make a silent promise to throw it out the window as soon as I get on the train. I crawl onto the couch, suddenly aware of the wugglemares nesting in Willy's hair. I point to his head. "You have to kill that."

Daddy pulls Willy away from me. "We put you in the Center so you _wouldn't _say things like that! Your brother is wonderful, and I won't let you hurt him!"

I was just trying to help him! "Daddy, the wugglemares will get him!"

Mummy pats my leg. "Honey, there are no such thing as wugglemares."

Lies; all my family tells me are lies. "Stop saying that! They _are_ real! I see them! They will kill all of you and I won't stop them!"

I lunge at them, desperate to show them the wugglemares nesting on their clothes. The Peacekeepers, hearing shouting, bursts into the room, and pulls me back. My family leaves, and I hear Daddy tell Mummy, "Well, this is the best thing for her."

I don't care. I hate them. Wugglemares are real. They aren't.

**I love writing from her point of view! Sorry if I changed her a little too much, but it made the chapter a little longer. I hope you liked her to! She was created by Cricket the Clarinetist, and the boy tribute mentioned was created by ReYaN.9. Don't forget to review!**


	6. Past Present and Future

**A/N: FINALS ARE DONE! I have the whole summer to read, write, and NOT do 'rithmatic! Life is good! Anyway, this is the third chapter. the character is created by LoopyLou1990. She is also starting another fic on her account and you should all go and check it out. The tribute briefly mentioned during the reaping was created by ReYaN.9. Go check out those fics as well, they are great. Without further ado…**

**Chapter Three**

**Past Present and Future**

Dixie and Delphi giggle as they weave my hair between their small fingers. I normally hate when people touch my hair, seeing as I am a very _masculine _boy, but I make a special exception for my eight year old cousins.

"Move over Dixie! I want a go at Raff's hair!"

I look over to see Silver Fairbane laughing as she twists my shaggy brown hair around her finger. Silver is the sibling I never had. She is my closest friend, and we spend most of our free time together. She is a very smart sixteen year old, only one year younger than me.

I tug playfully on her blond hair as she starts to braid my hair into plaits. "Stop it!" I laugh, interrupting what is supposed to be an indignant complaint. "Do you realize how stupid I will look at the reaping?"

Delphi giggles and starts to braid another portion of my hair. I decide to compromise before the three girls in my life overtake my hair. "I'll make a deal with you: how about you can put three braids in—one for each of you. I will leave them in until after the reaping, so everyone can admire your wonderful skills."

Dixie, Delphi, and Silver mull it over. Silver speaks. "We will agree if you leave them in for a week. I shake her hand. "Deal."

I lean back against the chair and let them work their magic until I hear the door open. Uncle Crucis and Aunt Valeria walk in covered in sawdust. They brush off some of the larger wood chips, walk over to the living room, and laughs at the spectacle awaiting them.

It must look funny to them; a huge, 6'6, seventeen year old boy having his hair braided by three girls younger than him. I do have a very intimidating look to me. I have a square jaw, which make me look like I have a block-shaped face. My mouth is disproportionately small, almost just a slit in my face, and an even smaller nose. My eyes are small, but bright and very blue, weird in contrast to my hulking frame and bulky muscles.

Aunt Valeria walks over towards us. "Raff Cronin, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Silver punches my arm playfully. "Yeah RC, what _have _you gotten yourself into?"

I laugh, but choose to ignore their question. Instead, I turn to Uncle Crucis. "Did you see Dad today?"

Uncle Crucis works for my dad, chopping trees to feed into the chipper. Here is District Seven, wood is used for everything and Dad has a booming woodchip business. On the weekends, when I'm not in school, I work with Dad at the mill. I chop trees, and he cuts them up.

Sometimes, he will let me keep some of the bigger chips. He knows I love carving small creatures and objects from the wood. I sell them in the market for five dollars each, which helps feed Mom, Dad and I. Mom stays at home, cleaning the thick layer of saw dust that seems to settle into every nook and cranny of our small, one story house.

For my sixteenth birthday, Mom gave me my grandfather's knife. I knew that it was hard for her to do, because Mom and Grandfather used to be very close, before he died in a logging accident. The blade is sharper and the handle is sturdier than my old one.

Uncle Crucis answers me. "When I went in he told me to tell you that he wants you back home in…" He checks his watch, and then looks back up. "Five minutes."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to leave now, so I'll have a few extra minutes to get ready for the reaping."

I gently push Delphi, Dixie, and Silver off me, and run home, feeling the dense braids hitting the back of my head with every step.

When I get to the front door, I reach into the ornamental tree to the left, and grab two knives. One is the real one, the one that belonged to Grandpa. The other one is something special I'm working on. Over the course of five months I have carved an exact replica of the knife. The oak handle is finished, and buffed to a shine, but I am putting the finishing touches on the point of the knife.

I have decided that this will be my token if I am ever reaped, so I need to round to point so it wouldn't be considered a weapon. I live in fear of being reaped every year. This is my second to last reaping, and I am so close to being free from the crushing terror that is the Hunger Games.

As I walk to the kitchen, I round out the top of the knife, and buff it with a small washcloth. By the time I reach the other room, the 'knife' is done. I greet dad, and open the cabinet. "Do you know if we have anymore bread?"

He answers, and picks up the knife. "I picked some up today. Only take one slice, because my next pay doesn't come until next week and this is all we have. Did you finish the knife? It looks fantastic!"

I thank him, and pull the knife back, not wanting any charcoal to get on it. From the black dust on his hands it is clear he was burning wood today. I toss him the towel I was using to buff the knife. "Here— you still have a little wood on your hands from work. You should wipe them off before you grab some bread."

He thanks me, and then asks me about Aunt Valeria and Uncle Crucis.

"They're good. Aunt Valeria taught me a new anger exercise last week."

I have had an issue with being bullied in the past, based on my size looks, and, to be frank, _lack_ of brains. Over the years I have developed a defense mechanism: punch and run. I sometimes get carried away, and then I am the one in trouble, so I am always looking for ways to calm my temper.

It's gotten so bad that I will snap even if I am not the one being bullied. A few weeks ago I was walking home from school and saw a little girl's bag being stolen. I don't quite remember what happened, but the boy ended up in the hospital, and I ended up in detention.

I always feel bad about hurting the person later, but I can never take it back. I especially try to be nice to Silver, because she is the only friend I have. I am fairly socially awkward, and I always talk and laugh at the worst time possible.

I walk outside to the small logging stations Dad and I have set up. My tame at Dad's mill has made me very skilled with axes, hatchets, and other handle-and-blade weapons. I can't throw them very well, but I can swing them with incredible force and accuracy.

I whip my arms around and slam an axe into the dead center of a log, splitting it wide open. Unfortunately, whatever skill I possess in axes is lost in my inability to run. With my huge physique and upper body strength, I sadly lack speed. If I were to be reaped, I would probably die in the bloodbath, because I couldn't sprint away fast enough.

If I made it past the bloodbath I would gather all my supplies and hide. I know I _can_ kill, with my huge body and lethal axe skills, but I wouldn't be able to live with the grief. After swinging the axe a couple more times, I head inside to get ready for the reaping.

With my family's average income, I am able to afford a new suit. It isn't very well made, but it is new. Not many people in District Seven can say that they wear new clothes.

I wash my face in the sink, and use some water to slick back my untidy brown hair. I pull on my shoes, and trot to the reaping. Mom and Dad will come later; they don't have to sign in. I walk on the edges of the cobblestones; not wanting to get any sawdust in the grooves of my new shoes.

When I reach the square, my shoes are, happily, sawdust free and shiny as always. I walk up to the Peacekeeper stationed behind the wooden desk. "Hello, I'm Raff Cronin. I'm a seventeen-year-old male, and I'm signing in."

The Peacekeeper nods, checks me off the list, and waves me lethargically in the general vicinity of where I'm supposed to be.

I lumber over to the seventeen year old section, and notice Silver right away. She is wearing a long green dress, which accentuates her green eyes and red hair. I try to walk over to her, but a Peacekeeper stops me. "You must stay within your designated gender lines."

I decide not to push the issue, and I back off. Silver didn't even look over once. I wait for the mayor to come out and give the long speech about how the Hunger Games came to be. After a while, she introduces our escort, Brizzitch. He is a small and slender man, with an unruly mop of green hair, and very tan skin.

If I didn't know that he just transferred from the District Eleven escort, I would think he was trying to look like a tree. He prances about on the stage, praising the Capital and basically _shouting_ at us _lucky_ we are to be murdered for the enjoyment of the Capital.

Finally, _finally_, he reaches for the glass bowl containing the girl tribute. District Seven holds its breath as he reads the name out loud. "Jay Garden!"

A girl from the fifteen year old section walks out. I hate the Capital for doing this to us. They have essentially sentenced her to death at the hands of another child.

Every thought leaves my mind, though, as Brizzitch reaches into the boy's bowl. He pulls out a slip. I can't get reaped. I can't kill anyone.

Brizzitch's mouth opens, and I _think_ I see his lips start to form the letter 'R'. That can't be right. It won't be me. It can't be me. "Raff Cronin!" It was me.

I am horrified. I just _can't_ kill another human. The mere thought of taking another's life away repulses me immensely. I decide right now: I will not kill _anyone_ in these Games. I don't care if I die. I just want to leave this world without taking anyone with me.

I begin the journey up the stage, keeping my eyes on my feet. The crowd mummers, hopeful. They are impressed by my size, and are hoping I can win this for them. _Not a chance District Seven, sorry._

Brizzitch makes Jay and I shake hands. She has a strong grip, but doesn't try to out-squeeze me like I know some tributes do. I shake her hand firmly, make eye contact, and nod once. She gives me a slight smile, and we are led our separate ways into the Justice Building.

I have high hopes about Jay. I hope that we can be allies in the arena. It would be nice to have someone there when the arena gets dark. I am not a big fan of the dark, and it helps calm me down when someone else is there.

I sink into the velvet sofa, making an indent in the fabric, and wait for Silver, Dixie, Delphi, Mom, Dad, Aunt Valeria, and Uncle Crucis to walk in.

I reach into my pocket one last time; to make sure the knife is still there. It is. If you hold on to your past, present, and future, you will not stand alone.

**Please review! It literally means so much to me! The open spots are now only the D5 and the D6 boy. If you submitted one of those tributes, PM me and I'll get it all worked out. Review! **

**~TrackerJackson**


	7. I's Sorry

Hey guys. I'm going to take about a week off. My best friend committed suicide, and I don't really feel like writing right now. I'm sorry for the delay.


	8. Drowning

**A/N: Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I was just going through a tough time coming to terms to what had happened. I'm so sorry for the long wait, and the less than satisfactory chapter that is sure to follow this long A/N. This tribute was created by katnisspeetaforever12, and the girl tribute briefly mentioned in the chapter is being reserved by seanthesheep356. The only available tribute is the D5 boy. The D12 male and female tributes are reserved by littlechurchboy22, and the D4 boy is reserved by Demented Kawaii Kitten. Everything else is taken. (Littlechurchboy22, Demented Kawaii Kitten, and seanthesheep365: If you could try to get your tributes in to me as fast as you can, that would be great****). **

**If you have managed to make your way all the way through the Author's note, thank you, and enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter… Something**

**Drowning **

_Two Years Ago_

My head struggles to clear the surface, and I slide back down into the water, small bubbles circling my face as they do what I cannot: swim to the top. I find it strange that- even with the surplus of Peacekeepers crawling around the District- no one hears my strangled cries for help.

I shouldn't even be in the lake; I cannot swim. I was walking along the lakeside with my friend, Jacob Vollin, when I dropped my watch in the water. It was my father's watch. He died when I was three in a train accident. I hardly remember him, but Mom gave me the watch this year, when I turned twelve.

I call out for Jacob, wondering where he is and why he isn't coming to help me. I thrash my head in a desperate attempt to get my head above water. I feel a rock connect with my right cheek, and I instantly see the water around my head turn a pink color as my blood mingles with the water.

I ignore the pain, and push myself so my mouth is out of the water. "Jacob! Jacob help meblebbleb-" My cry is cut short as I fall back below the surface. I finally see him, his shaggy brown hair and amber eyes distorted by the choppy water. I hear him cry, "Cooper! Hold on!" and I see him plunge his hand into the water.

I grab it, and he heaves me out of the water. I sit and cough for a while before I have the oxygen to ask, "Where were you!? I was underwater for at least five minutes!"

"I'm sorry Cooper. I saw Moreletta wandering through the trees and I just _had_ to mess with her mind."

Cooper is always trying to pull practical jokes on people and, as a result, is always in trouble. We are the same age, but by maturity standards I am several years older than him.

"What did you do? You know she has so much morphling in her system she probably thought that you were Titus back to haunt her from the grave!"

Jacob laughs. Moreletta was Titus' mentor. When he started becoming a cannibal, Moreletta blamed herself and became addicted to morphling to hide the pain.

"That's actually what I did1 I told her it was her fault and that I would haunt her until she could manage to bring home a victor. She just kind of sat down and started babbling about how the colors were okay, so I left."

I lean over and shove him. "That was an _awful_ thing to do!" I don't mention how I find it slightly funny. Jacob stretches, and tries to touch my forehead. I'm the second shortest twelve year old in the District, standing at only 4'9'', but Jacob, with his 4'8'' frame is shorter.

"You're bleeding!" At his cry I raise my hand to feel the side of my cheek, slippery with blood. As soon as my finger comes in contact with the skin, my whole face erupts in a fiery pain, and I black out.

_Present Day_

They say the sun never shines in District Six, and I have to agree with them. Because of all the cars and trains constantly barreling their way through the district, we have a fairly constant blanket of smog in the sky.

Nevertheless, I am still out at five in the morning, doing my daily run. While most of the district spends their time making small adjustments to cogs, and fusing different car batteries together, I choose to run. My family is not rich, but we are not poor either, so I do not need to have a job.

Forty minutes later I trot back into my house and grab a tall glass of water. I notice my Mom standing over the sink, cleaning some old food off the dishes. "Hey Mom. Where's Leyla? I thought she was supposed to help with the dishes last night."

My Mother's real name is Lea Drake, but she still goes by Lea Bale. She and my dad were very much in love, and she was crushed when he died. Instead of retreating into a hollow shell like some people I know in the district, she went into super mode.

Now she is like both of my parents, but I still wonder about Dad. Mom doesn't like to talk about him, so all I have to remember is the watch and some stories people in the district have told me about his death.

Apparently he was working the train station the day a big Capital train was due to arrive. A few minutes before, a rebel by the name of Sanders blew up one of the tracks. If the train came through at its normal speed, it would derail and kill everyone on board.

The Peacekeepers at the station shot Sanders, and ordered three people to go onto the tracks and repair it before the train arrived. They were able to repair the tracks, but Dad's foot got caught under the rail and the train hit him.

I once asked Mom if this was true, and she started crying. I decided then never to ask her about Dad again.

` Mom turns towards me, setting the plate down on the counter. "You know how Leyla is. She's probably fifty feet up in a tree, of fifty feet underwater in the lake."

Leyla is my ten year old sister. She looks just like Mom, with her wavy, waist length blond hair, and her sea blue eyes. Like most of the people in the district, she is skinny due to lack of food .She is notorious for being a daredevil, but she is also the friendliest person in the district.

People say that Leyla and I are alike. I am not a daredevil, but I am fun to be around. If someone is sad, I know just what to say to brighten their mood. Sometimes, when I am in a bad mood, I lash out at whoever I am with, but I try to be nice to everybody.

I laugh. "Do you need any help?"

Mom waves away my request, and picks the plate up again. "This is the last one. You should go get ready for the reaping."

This is my third year in the reaping. I am better off than most people in the district. I do not have to take any tereasse, so I only have three slips of paper in the reaping ball. Jacob, whose family is a little poorer than mine, has six slips.

I walk into my room and grab my reaping clothes: a teal shirt that compliments my teal eyes and sandy blond hair that falls slightly past my ears, and black pants. After I slide on my clothes I look at the reflection in the mirror.

I have a slim nose, but it fits well on my slim face. I have thin lips to match, but a defined chin and jawbone. I turn on the faucet and slick back my hair with some water until it doesn't look as untidy as usual. I slide my finger along the side of my cheek, where a faint scar remains from the lake two years ago.

As I am about to leave the room Leyla walks in. "Hey Cooper. Are you on your way to the reaping?"

I envy Leyla, and her precious two years until she has to face the terror of the reaping. "Yeah. Are you going later with Mom?"

She nods, and walks up to her room to get ready. I walk out the door, waving to Mom on the way out.

I meet up with Jacob halfway to the square and we walk the rest of the way together. After the fiasco at the lake we became best friends, and I vowed never to swim again.

Jacob looks at his watch. "We have a few minutes before we have to be at the square. Do you think we have time to pull a couple more pranks on Moreletta?"

I look at the square, still a mile away. "No, I think we should just go ahead and get to the reaping. We would hate to be late."

Jacob nods reluctantly.

"All right. I'll race you there!"

He groans, knowing I am so much faster than him. I bound off towards the square, leaving Jacob in the dust. I get there in enough time to check in, walk over to the fourteen year old male section, and find my place among my classmates before Jacob huffs his way up to the square.

"Don't even say it," Jacob mutters with a small smile to let me know he's joking. I laugh, knowing that Jacob hates running.

"You cut it awfully close. Look—Gunter is taking the stage."  
Gunter is our mayor. Year after year he steals food, money, and encourages public punishments from the Peacekeepers, so I don't know how he keeps getting elected. His belly precedes him onto the stage.

"Attention District Six!" His massive girth is challenged only by his massive voice. "We are going to switch things up this year! Why? Because I'm bored, that's why! You have all heard the speech about how the Hunger Games came to be, so I will abbreviate it. There were Thirteen, now there are Twelve, and the Capital is great! Now, here is Tinka. We will start with boys this year."

Gunter waddles off the stage, probably to go back to his hoard of food. The district mutters, surprised by the change in order. We _always_ choose the girl first. I suppose it's better for me. I get to get the fear of the reaping over quickly.

Tinka, our escort, walks across the stage to select a slip. I've always wondered why the Capital doesn't fire her. Tinka _can_ talk—I've seen interviews done—but she never talks at the reaping except to announce the name of the tributes.

She passes the girls ball, and walks straight to the boy's ball. She places her hand delicately at the top, and plucks the first slip her hand touches. Suddenly I am faced with the fear that _it is possible I could be reaped_.

I hold my breath in terror as her mouth forms the name, "Cooper Bale."

That's… me. No! I had only three slips in the bowl! There were thousands for her to choose from. I can't go into the games! Shocked, I slowly walk up to the stage, unconsciously rubbing my watch.

I look at Jacob, my eyes pleading for him to volunteer. He doesn't meet my gaze. This is unbelievable. What am I going to do?

After the girl tribute is called I shuffle into the Justice Building to say my goodbyes. My _final_ goodbyes. I feel like I am drowning again.

**Again, I am so sorry for the wait. Did you guys like the time change, or was it just weird? Anyway, review if you liked it. Or if you didn't. Or if you thought it was just ok.**

**If you have a tribute reserved, please try to get it to me as soon as possible. The only tribute remaining is the D5 boy.**

**I am done with the reapings, but I don't know if I should show the train ride POV or just skip right to the chariot rides. If you have a preference please put it in a review!**

**I hope to post again soon.**

**Again—thank you all so much for you helpful advice and kind words. It feels nice to distract myself with writing, but I did need the time to compose myself. Thank you all for understanding.**

**~TrackerJackson**


	9. Fun For Two

**A/N: I'm sorry about the long wait. I went up to Minnesota for my friend's funeral and I had no Wi-Fi. I actually finished this chapter on Thursday. **

**I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed so far, and everyone has submitted tributes. If your tribute was not chosen, I apologize, but I hope you will continue reading the story anyways. This tribute, the wonderfully energetic Hallie Reese from District Two, was created by Wish on the Star, and the boy tribute, Gladius, was created by district4person. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter… Ten?**

**Fun for Two**

I look out the window at the grey blur of rocks zooming past. If I try and focus at the front of the pane, I can see part of my reflection. My usually straight dark red hair is still curly from the reaping, and my hazel eyes, outlined by a thin line of coal, stand in stark contrast against my pale skin. I had pinched my thin lips before I left so they look darker than their normally light pink hue, but it had faded during the time for goodbyes. I run my fingers over my small nose, and stop when my fingers brush my hair—a little lower than my shoulders. I pull it up into its normal high ponytail, and brush away my uneven bangs from my face.

I don't regret my decision to volunteer. I need to make the most out of life that I can, to make up for what I did to Sienna. She was only six, and I cared about her more than I cared about anybody else. Sienna is my younger sister. I was a sweet girl when I was younger; I was always drawing, painting, daydreaming, and keeping to myself. I didn't have very many friends, so I was secretly thrilled when Mother and Father told me I was going to get a little sister.

When Sienna was born, we started spending a lot of time together. As she grew up, I tried to get her interested in books and art, but all she wanted to do was go outside and play. She always managed to get me to go and play with her.

We were in a grove of trees and Sienna told me she could climb the tallest tree and jump down. I told her not to, but she did anyway. She hit a branch, and her body flipped. She landed on her back and her spine cracked near her lower back. She has been paralyzed from the waist down since she was six. She accepted it within the year, but I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that we would never play outside together again. When I see her in her wheelchair, unable to do anything by herself, I feel the need to have enough fun for both of us, and I cannot take my ability to walk for granted.

I am no longer the quiet obedient girl I once was. I became energetic—a troublemaker even. I can't sit still for a second. Sienna has driven me to use my legs every second that I can. When I turned thirteen I started ignoring the rules, and doing whatever I wanted. Everyone but Sienna became unimportant, and as a result I lost all of my friends. I'm lonely, but no one ever asked, so I never tell anyone that I really want a friend.

This was when I decided to compete in the Hunger Games. It seemed fun and exciting, and I knew I could win. I still know I can win. I immediately started training, until it became almost an obsession. Every free moment of mine for the past four years has been filled with training, practical jokes, and spending time with Sienna.

For my sixteenth birthday she gave me a silver locket with a picture of her and me inside it. It is the only picture I have from before she was paralyzed. I usually keep it under my pillow, but I now grasp it in my hand, the silver reflection the view zooming past from outside the window.

I'm from District Two, the main breeder of bloodthirsty Careers. I, however, am no bloodthirsty Career. I am in this Game to win, and the entertainment. I will get no pleasure from killing others; I will only do what must be done. The rush will be the fun part.

I look at my reflection again. I envy Sienna with her green eyes and light brown hair. We have the same build, though. We are small, both about 165 centimeters, with few curves. We are skinny, partly from lack of food. Our family is of average status but there are still nights where there is no food on the table. I know, when I win the Games, there will be no more hungry nights for the Reese family.

My mom, Arabella, stays at home all day, taking care of Sienna. She tried to make me change my mind about volunteering, because she thinks I will die. We argue a lot, and are not on the best of terms. At least she is more understanding than my father, Robert. He is a nice man, I suppose, but we also do not get along. He wants me to be more docile, like I was as a kid, and spend more time at home. I think he is just bossy. I feel guilty after our arguments, because I often yell hurtful things that I don't really mean at him. I have too much pride to apologize.

I usually have a good sense of humor, although people have told me that I talk too much. I never run out of energy, or ideas. Despite being fun to have around, I don't have many friends. I can be stubborn, impatient, restless, and selfish. I hate being wrong, and I _always_ have to be the leader. If something doesn't go my way I become whiny and can be quite a pain.

I tend to forget that people have _feelings_, and usually end up crossing the line and hurting them. I don't mean to, it's just a part of me. I only have regard for my friends and family, but to them, I am very loyal. People, to me, are, in a way, seen as objects that exist to amuse me. Because of this, I often tend to underestimate my opponents. It has been a weakness in the past for me, but I hope it will help me become unattached from my allies.

I do, of course, plan to stay with the Career Alliance for as long as they are useful to me. I know I need to have as much fun winning. Otherwise, what's the point? I know I can be the leader of the Careers, and I just have to plan when I will fall into that role.

I met with Thalia, my mentor, a few hours ago, when we first got on the train. She won the 30th Hunger Games when she went crazy and slaughtered the remaining tributes after she lost her best friend and ally in the top six. She is still mentally unstable, and easily turns to violence if she gets angry. She can be bossy and demanding, but gets along well with me.

She doesn't tell me, but I know that all she wants is for one of her tributes to return home safely. I find her very pretty, with her bright blue eyes and her shoulder length whitish blonde hair.

We discussed my strengths and weaknesses for the Games. I am fast, from my morning runs, smart, good at adapting and coming up with plans, and good at all sorts of all melee weapons. I am terrified of climbing, because of Sienna's accident, and I have very bad aim. I also am smaller than the average tribute, so I will struggle against a bigger opponent. I will probably be one of the oldest at seventeen, but the male tributes tend to have the height and weight advantage over us female tributes.

I know that Travis, although he is my same age, is much taller than me. Travis is my friend, but also my training rival. He is my partner at the Center back at home, and we sometimes hang out outside of training. We usually argue and mock each other, but we do—or, at least I do—have a lot of fun in each other's company. He is much taller and has a lot more muscle than me, so he usually beats me in hand to hand combat, but I am better at using weapons than he is.

I would say that Ben is my best friend, even if we don't always get along. We are polar opposites, with him being calm and relaxed, and me always trying to get him to have fun. When he is around me he mostly complains about being bored, but we still always end up hanging out together again.

Gladius South, my district partner, walks into the room. God, he looks like such a pushover. He has brown hair, blue eyes, a large mouth, and a small nose. He does have big muscles, and he is about 5'8''. He walks over to me and looks out the window.

"Are you thinking about home? I know I am. I left my girlfriend Grace and my younger sister May behind. May was the whole reason I signed up for tesserae."

"Look—Gladius is it?—I'm here to win the Games and I don't really want the distraction of knowing about your life back home. When the inevitable Career breakup happens I don't want to be tied down with you."

Gladius looks insulted. "First of all, call me Gladdie. Second of all, I see no reason we can't be friends. Once we get in the arena we can forget all of it and just go around killing everyone."

I turn to him. "I'm not here to _go around killing everyone_. I'm here for the thrill, and to help my sister Sienna."

He smiles. "See—I've already found out why you volunteered, _and_ I know you have a sister. We should be friends; it's destiny!"

Despite my best intentions, I smile. There's just something so loveably stupid about Gladdie that makes me like him a little bit. "How about this: How about you go back to whatever you were doing before you came over here and disturbed me."

Gladdie looks unfazed by my attempt to send him away. "No, how about _this_: We should play a game. I'll tell you something about me, and then you answer the same question about yourself."

I have to hand it to the kid—he sure is persistent. "All right. But you have to go first."

Gladdie smiles, please at his accomplishment. "I can't throw knives. If you hold a sword to my throat and tell me to hit the side of a house, I couldn't do it."

I am puzzled. Why would he reveal one of his biggest weaknesses in the Games to me? I mull it over in my head, and decide that he at least deserves an honest, if not full, answer from me. "I am scared of heights and climbing." I stop there, not revealing any of my other weaknesses.

He counters quickly. "My token is this." He holds up a small badge shaped like a circular shield. "I found it in the dirt behind my house. I think it might have been Zeus'."

Zeus is his mentor, who won the Games by slamming down a meat cleaver into another Career's shoulder, punched the Career, and then decapitated him with one neat stroke to the cleaver. He's a pretty scary dude.

"My token is this." I show him my locket with the pictures of Sienna and I. "It's from before she was paralyzed from falling out of a tree."

Gladdie nods thoughtfully, and I realize I have given him an extra piece of information. "No fair! You have to tell me about your family now."

"There's not much to say. Mum and Dad left when I was seven, and I basically had to raise my sister, May. She's the reason I'm here. I didn't take any tesserae out on myself, only on her."

Forgetting the game for a second I turn to him. "Why did nobody volunteer for you? Every year there is hundreds of hulking testosterone buckets that would love nothing more than to stab a sword into somebody's gut."

Gladdie laughs bitterly. The boys hate me. None of the eighteen year olds wanted to volunteer this year, so, when I was reaped, I guess they all decided to wait to volunteer until next year. They want to see me die. I knew they didn't like me, but I was still shocked when nobody volunteered. They knew I had to take care of May and now there is nobody to help her. We grew up in the poor part of the district. I realized when I was five that I was very talented with a spear, so I trained at the Center on weekends. When I couldn't pay for lessons anymore I just started taking out more and more tereasse. You know where that got me." He gestures around the train with an unhappy smile and I can't help but laugh.

He asks me two more questions. "I'm sixteen, and I'm going to join the Careers. What about you? Cause I, personally, think we should stick together."

I pause. Is Gladdie suggesting an alliance? "…Yes. Yes, I do think I will be in the Careers. We should stick together, you and me."

He smiles and walks to his cart, leaving me in peace. I guess for these Games I just might have fun for two: Sienna and Gladdie.

**I hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to review—it makes me update a lot faster! **

**If you want to sponsor at tribute here is the system:**

**You may sponsor two tributes and send each of them one gift. If you only want to sponsor one tribute you may send them two gifts, but you may not sponsor only your own tribute. **

**Each review you leave is worth one point and there will be little contests at the end of each chapter that will be worth one point as well. I will leave the list of gifts you can send at the end of each chapter, and how many points each of them are worth.**

**I will not start the sponsor system until the Games start, but I just want to give y'all a heads-up that it is coming. **

**Pm me if you have any questions**

**~TrackerJackson**

**SPONSOR GIFTS**

**3 pts-**

**10 ft. of rope**

**Flint**

**5x5 tarp**

**Small pack of dried fruit**

**Needle and thread**

**5 pts-**

**Small throwing knife**

**10 matches**

**1 liter water bottle (Empty)**

**Iodine tablets**

**Fishing hook**

**Small medicine kit (small roll of gauze, antibiotic cream, needle, thread)**

**10 pts-**

**Sword **

**1 liter water bottle (Full)**

**Bow**

**8 Arrows (10 points for bow AND 10 points for the arrows). If you tribute can make arrows then they only need the bow.**

**Large medical kit (Small water bottle, Pain pills, Sleep Medicine, Packet of dried fruit, Large roll of gauze, Small and dulled medical scissors, Antibiotic cream, needle, thread.)**

**Spear**

**20 pts-**

**Sleeping bag**

**Trident**

**Bow and 8 arrows**

**Fishing Pole**

**2 liter water bottle (Filled)**

**One clothing item of your choice (Heavy coat if it is a cold arena, or a tank fop if it is a warm one, or socks or whatever.)**

**Specialty Medicine**

**30 pts-**

**Body Armor **

**Here is the first chapter contest. It will be worth 1 point. Leave your answer in the reviews or PM me your answer.**

**COMPLETE THE SENTENCE**

**(Funniest Answer Wins)**

**It is the middle of the night and you realize you are in a lucid dream. You know you can do anything, so you…**

**You have one week to answer! Good luck!**


	10. Everything I Ever Wanted

**A/N: The wonderful Juliet O'Hare is brought to you by seanthesheep356, and her District Partner, Cooper Bale, is brought to you by katnisspeetaforever12.**

** I was looking through my past chapters, and I realized I have not yet had a disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: This is Suzanne Collin's world. I just like to play in it.**

** Demented Kawaii Kitten and littlechurchboy22: You both have reserved tributes—the D4 boy and the D12 Boy and Girl. I will give you one more week, but then I have to open up the spots again. I'm sorry, but the fic can't move on without all of the tributes present. I'll PM both of you to let you know, but if you read this—I really need your tributes.**

** I was going to do more train ride chapters, but they aren't very much fun to write. Since nothing is going on, I feel sort of like I am cramming information into each chapter. So, I decided to skip right to the prep/stylist/chariot rides. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Everything I Ever Wanted**

I was so close to having everything I had ever wanted. Unlike most of my classmates, I didn't hate my name: Juliet O'Hare. My parents named me Juliet after the letter 'J' in the pilot alphabet. The pilots in District Six use this alphabet to communicate in code when they don't want the Capital listening in on their conversations.

I have two close friends: Sierra and Ian. Sierra and I became friends in school, when we were always paired together because of our names. We were the only two people in our class that had names from the pilot alphabet, and, to our five year old minds, was enough to become best friends. Ian, my other best friend, works as an aircraft mechanic with me. We help military pilots learn the motions to take off and guide them towards the runway.

It has only been two days since the reaping, but it feels like it has been months. I was taxing an aircraft for takeoff with Ian before I got ready for the reaping. I walked with my siblings, fourteen year old Isaac and thirteen year old Victoria.

I was not expecting to be reaped. I am only fifteen and, by District Six standards, my family is very wealthy. I didn't have to take out any tereasse, and I only had four slips in the bowl. But the biggest surprise of all was what Ian said to me when he came in to say goodbye. This I remember like it was yesterday.

_Ian walks in to the room where I am waiting, a little before Sierra does. He looks nervous, more than usual. _

_ "Hey Jewel."_

_ He uses his nickname for me, even though we both know that this is not a happy occasion. "Hey Ian."_

_ "Listen… there's something I need to tell you before you… leave."_

_ I look at him, waiting, but he still says nothing. "You need to tell me… what?"_

_ He stares at the ground, blushing. Finally, he looks up. "I'vehadahugecrushonyousinceIwasfive."_

_ I laugh. "Try again, just a _little_ slower."_

_ Ian takes a deep breath. "I've had a huge crush on you since I was five."_

_ I don't know what to say. The words finally come to me. "I… like you too, Ian."_

_ We stare at each other for a while, before I finally say, "Now what?"_

_ Ian doesn't respond. He just leans in and gently presses his lips against mine. They are soft, and taste slightly like the raspberries he had for lunch earlier. Without hesitation I return the kiss._

I am jolted from my thoughts as Opal gently massages my head with a shampoo that smells like peppermint. Emerald is still plucking at my eyebrows and Sapphire is filing my nails. Moreletta, my mentor, mentioned that the prep team is usually very vibrant and talkative, but mine doesn't talk much at all.

I have been in this steamy, humid room for several hours now. So far I have been given a bath in a foul yellow substance, been washed and waxed until I achieved shiny perfection, and had my toenails filed and painted a navy blue color.

I lean back in the padded white chair, deciding to enjoy the pampering while it lasts. So quickly, to the point where I'm not sure if it even happened, Emerald leans down and her mouth brushes my ear. "We hate the Games just as much as you do."

My eyes fly open and I look at Emerald curiously, but she only calmly plucks a few more hairs from my eyebrows. Opal rinses my hair, Sapphire paints my nails with the same navy color as my toenails, and Emerald calls for my stylist, Lupe.

As I wait for Lupe to come in, I put on my robe and think about what Emerald just said. Do they really hate the Hunger Games and the Capital as much as I do? When I was reaped could only think about my burning hatred for the Capital, and I bottled up my worries. I'm sure I looked rather fierce walking up to the stage.

I was determined to win before I got to the Capital, but knowing some of the citizens hate the Games just as much as I do gives me motivation. Maybe, if I win, the Districts, along with some Capital citizens, could rise up against President Snow.

I'm still smiling when Lupe walks in. He has tight pants that look like they are made of cheetah fur, a flamboyant, turquoise shirt, and spiked up blond hair. He breezes over to where I sit and prods me with a brush.

"Up, Up! We have to see how your outfit fits!"

We are the transportation district so, for the past 33 years, we have all been pilots. Sure enough, when Lupe whisks the covering off, I am greeted with a navy blue blouse, a tan leather jacket, and a long, tight, navy skirt.

I actually like the outfit, and am pleased with how it looks on. I have a very pale skin with waist length, blond hair with a hint of pink in it. If is naturally wavy, and Opal said that Lupe wouldn't do anything to it. I have jade green eyes and my lips are pink. I'm 5'5'' and thin, but not horribly underweight. I have muscle in my arms from holding up engines and tightening bolts in cars.

I have been told I am beautiful, but I never agreed with them until now. My hair spills over the tan jacket, making it look strawberry blond. The navy blouse hugs my curves, accentuates my muscles, and brings out my jade green eyes.

"Thank you Lupe. This is perfect."

Lupe pats me on the head. "You go get 'em. No one out there could look as pretty as you."

I smile, and confidentially walk out of the door in my knee-high, dark leather boots. Cooper, my district partner, is waiting for me in the hall. We look alike with blond hair and teal eyes, but he is about seven inches shorter than me.

"Hey, I like your outfit." It really does look good on him. He is wearing a simple suit and tie, but the tie is navy to match my skirt and blouse.

"Yeah, Xanfer, Darliter, and Atheenia really outdid themselves. My stylist, Jade, hardly did any work. They looked crazy, so when they started dressing me I thought they were going to try to make me look like them. Xanfer had purple hair, purple skin, purple eyes, and purple clothes. Darliter had orange hair and slitted eyes with white wrinkled skin. Atheenia looked the craziest of all. She had really pale skin with her eyes caked in black makeup. She was wearing a dress that looked like it was made out of meat!"

I laugh. "Poor you! My prep team looked fairly normal. The only thing strange about them is that they had their name stone implanted on their wrists. Emerald had an emerald, Opal had an opal, and-"

"I get it!" Cooper says with a laugh. "Anyway, are you ready to go see all the other tributes?"

I groan. I really don't want to meet everyone. The more human the tributes are the more trouble I'll have killing them. "I guess we have to."

We walk down the brightly lit hallway, through the wooden double doors, and met with the hateful and distrustful eyes of twenty-two other tributes.

"Great," I say to Cooper. "We're late."

We both immediately start to scope out the tributes. I start at the front of the chariot line: District One. The girl looks strong, confident, and beautiful in a golden ball gown inlaid with black gems. Her district partner is wearing a black suit with a gold tie.

District Two also looks dangerous. The boy is wearing long red robes with a golden chest plate and a spear that has been no doubt dulled down. The girl is wearing a flowy red dress, golden chest plate, and golden sandals. She carries a dulled down sword.

Before I can scope out anymore of the tributes, the bell rings and we are forced into our chariots. Not five seconds later the huge doors at the front of the room are thrown open and the chariots start moving. District One, in their golden apparel, glide out of the stables first, and are met with thunderous applause.

One by one the chariots start moving until the horses at the front of our chariot begin to walk towards the door. The crowd, still staring at the Careers, doesn't notice us as much as the other districts. I hear a few muffled cries of "Cooper!" or "Juliet!" but most of the yells are for District One's Pulchra Gemstone and Avery Reid, Districts Two's Hallie Reese and Gladius, or District Four's Nawfar Marella and Natins Trident. Any roses thrown at me have been blown off their course to the Careers.

Still, I hold my head high and wave to the Capital. We finish the loop and ride up to President Snow's mansion. He is the new president, and he is fairly young. People wonder about his rise to power. Just three years ago he was an advisor to the president, and now he is leader of all of Panem.

He talks to the tributes, but he addresses the crowd. "People of Panem! The newest games are about to begin! Tomorrow the tributes will head to training where they will practice using new weapons. A few days later we will see them again at the in-"

I zone out. Nothing he says is of any importance to me. I focus on the other tributes for a while, trying to figure out if I would want to be in an alliance with any of them. So far, the only person I would really like to be in an alliance with is Cooper. He seems trustworthy, strong, and capable. I also think he could be a friend, which is good for an alliance, but dangerous in the Games.

I'm jerked back to reality when the chariots start moving again. I guess President Snow must have finished his speech. I look up at the balcony to see him staring right at me, his snake eyes thinner than usual. I defiantly stare right back at him, not blinking, not moving, and certainly not looking away. Finally, my chariot turns and I am forced to turn my head.

Cooper and I ride the elevator up to our floor together. It's fun to watch the floor fade to a speck as we fly up in a glass box.

When we reach our floor we head to our separate rooms, too tired to say hello to our mentors. I flop down on the thickest, coziest bed I have ever seen, and fall asleep in an instant.

My last thought before I fade into the darkness of sleep is, "Maybe I have a chance after all."

**Thank you all for reading this chapter! Please don't forget to review, it really brightens my day. I just got back from my friend's funeral, and I'm feeling pretty say ;(. I'm glad I was able to have a quick update on this chapter. I actually wrote this while in Minnesota, but I had no WiFi, so I had two finished chapter when I got home. If you read both of them, please review the fourth chapter too! I'm not sure if I liked it or not, so I really want your feedback.**

**I'll post the sponsor information again, just so you can see it. (Just so you know: If you review this chapter and the chapter before it is worth two points.)**

**If you want to sponsor at tribute here is the system:**

**You may sponsor two tributes and send each of them one gift. If you only want to sponsor one tribute you may send them two gifts, but you may not sponsor only your own tribute. **

**Each review you leave is worth one point and there will be little contests at the end of each chapter that will be worth one point as well. I will leave the list of gifts you can send at the end of each chapter, and how many points each of them are worth.**

**I will not start the sponsor system until the Games start, but I just want to give y'all a heads-up that it is coming. **

**Pm me if you have any questions **

**~TrackerJackson**

**SPONSOR GIFTS**

**3 pts-**

**10 ft. of rope**

**Flint**

**5x5 tarp**

**Small pack of dried fruit**

**Needle and thread**

**5 pts-**

**Small throwing knife**

**10 matches**

**1 liter water bottle (Empty)**

**Iodine tablets**

**Fishing hook**

**Small medicine kit (small roll of gauze, antibiotic cream, needle, thread)**

**10 pts-**

**Sword **

**1 liter water bottle (Full)**

**Bow**

**8 Arrows (10 points for bow AND 10 points for the arrows). If you tribute can make arrows then they only need the bow.**

**Large medical kit (Small water bottle, Pain pills, Sleep Medicine, Packet of dried fruit, Large roll of gauze, Small and dulled medical scissors, Antibiotic cream, needle, thread.)**

**Spear**

**20 pts-**

**Sleeping bag**

**Trident**

**Bow and 8 arrows**

**Fishing Pole**

**2 liter water bottle (Filled)**

**One clothing item of your choice (Heavy coat if it is a cold arena, or a tank fop if it is a warm one, or socks or whatever.)**

**Specialty Medicine**

**30 pts-**

**Body Armor**

**The contest will be the same, because I updated on the same day.**

**Here is the first chapter contest. It will be worth 1 point. Leave your answer in the reviews or PM me your answer.**

**COMPLETE THE SENTENCE**

**(Funniest Answer Wins)**

**It is the middle of the night and you realize you are in a lucid dream. You know you can do anything, so you…**

**You have one week to answer! Good luck!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	11. Monitoring the World

**A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the loss of all the tributes. However, I could not thank you guys enough for the speedy response and the words of encouragement. I usually am very organized with these kinds of things. I'm sure you can imagine my frustration when 35 Word documents and my 3 Excel spreadsheets got deleted! **

**I am still missing these tributes-**

**District Two Male, Gladius (district4person)**

**District Five Girl, Annabelle Greene (allthatglitters7100)**

**District Seven Girl, Jay Garden and District Eight Male, Freddy Winston (ReYaN.9)**

**You still have a few more days to get your tributes to me before I open up the slots to everyone else. If you do not want your tribute, I will create a bloodbath tribute, but if you don't respond to this chapter or the PM I set you guys I'll let the other authors submit tributes.**

**A couple of people opened up their slots to me, so I have now created five bloodbath tributes (but I won't way who, because that would give it away.) Unfortunately, only one person who created a tribute wanted them to die in the bloodbath, and I want seven bloodbath deaths. This means that I will pick one tribute (randomly) to die in the Bloodbath. Please do not get mad if it is your tribute. Even if your tribute dies, I hope you will continue reading and reviewing this fic. **

**I would like to thank everyone who submitted a Complete the Sentence answer, and I am sorry if yours is not the one that won.**

**seanthesheep356, author of District Six's Juliet O'Hare, won the contest with this answer:**

_**It is the middle of the night and you realize you are in a lucid dream. You know you can do anything, so you…**_

_**I'd turn into a mermaid1! Then I'd grab some of my best friends (who are mermaids with me) and we'd get out of the water and go to Disneyland, and while we were in line at California Adventure's Tower of Terror (because that's my favorite ride) we'd see people from the Hunger Games in front of us. You may be asking, "Characters, or actors?" Answer: BOTH! :O And then we'd go to different places in the park like Soaring' over California (another favorite), Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, and we'd go on Tower of Terror again. And, as the person who seated us on tower of terror leaves the elevator, I'd scream "I LOVE YOU _!" (The blank was for their name. **_

_**We'd basically spend the day together and have fun! (Ha-ha this sounds really cheesy, but can you imagine if you actually dreamt it? Wait for it... now what do you think after imagining it?) **_

_**Yep, then I'd wake up after going home to the Pacific Ocean sleeping over with my friends. :)**_

**This is a very long answer, but that's not why I picked it. I found it very funny. I don't want you guys thinking you have to have an answer this long.**

**The sponsor points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 3 **

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 3**

**Wish on the Star- 2**

**LoopyLou1990- 2**

**Cricket the Clarinetist- 1**

**MusicFOrLife28 (Guest) - 1**

**Chapter 11**

**Monitoring the World**

I wince as Artemis plucks another hair from my already sore eyebrows. I keep my eyes closed, not only to keep hairs from falling into my eyes, but also to protect my eyes from the sight of my Prep Team.

Artemis is the most normal looking. She is artificially tan, wearing a loose white dress, tall golden high heels, gold mascara, and clear lip gloss. The first time she bent down to get the tweezers I saw a milky white gem in the shape of the moon implanted in the base of her neck.

The second person on my Prep Team is Hestia. Her skin has been bleached snow white, but she has had tiny pink dots tattooed all over her body. She is wearing a neon pink miniskirt with a black tank top tucked into it. Her makeup is atrocious. She has large, pink, fake eyelashes glued above her eyes, and neon pink lipstick. She occasionally has to run her tongue over her lips to clear them of any lipstick that may have rubbed off.

Hestia is currently rubbing a purple gel through my hair, which is supposed to get rid of any brown highlights my hair has, making it totally blond. "Your hair is so _shaggy_! How often do you go and get a haircut in District Three?"

It takes all of my patience not to roll my eyes. They are so oblivious about the cruelty that occurs in Panem, and the horror of the Games. "I don't get out of the house very often. I'm often stuck at work."

Hestia walks around to the front of me, and starts clipping at the tip of my hair with scissors. As she leans back to critically inspect my bangs I notice a tiny tattoo of a fire on her wrist. I don't know how that Capital did it, but they have invented the technology for moving tattoos. As I watch the fire on her wrist, a log falls and a shower of sparks fly up into her hand.

It makes me sick. The Capital has the money to invent _moving tattoos_, but they still can't afford to send food to the Districts. They made me look the way I am. When I stand shirtless in front of the mirror, it is easy to count each of my individual rips, and I can circle my waist with my hands. Even though I am fifteen and 5'4'', I weigh only 72 pounds. Any Career could snap me in half with their pinky.

Aphrodite, the last member of my Prep Team, stands up. She has been working on making my feet "presentable," even though they will be covered by my shoes during the chariot rides. I cringe, and not because of Artemis plucking my eyebrows.

Aphrodite is by far the most altered "person" in the room. I have no idea what her real skin looks like, because she has had sparrow feathers implanted on every inch of her body. Her hair, the only part with no feathers in it, is done up in a high bun held together with a scallop shell shaped clip. She is wearing a rose red skit that, thank Panem, goes down to her knees, and a white blouse.

She speaks in her surprisingly normal voice. "You are so lucky you get to participate in such a historical and sacred event! It's been going on for thirty-four years! That's older than I am!"

She's so altered, for all I know, she could be eight. "Yeah," I mutter quietly. "I'm _so_ lucky."

Artemis finishes plucking the last hair from my eyebrows and leaves the room. Hestia wipes her hands of the gel on the fluffiest towel I have ever seen, and starts pouring a bath over in the corner. I stare at the bath in awe. We don't have running water back in District Three, and we _certainly_ don't have hot water that appears at the turn of a knob.

Aphrodite stands in the spot Artemis vacated moments before, and begins working on my fingernails. A couple of minutes before the bath is full, Artemis returns to the room, carrying the _biggest needle I have ever seen!_ I am not okay with needles. One time, at home, I fell on a rusty gear and sliced my skin open from my right eye, over my nose, and down to my left nostril. The scar remains, but the thing I remember the clearest about that day is the visit to the doctor's office. I had to get a tetanus shot, and they stuck it so far up my arm I cried and passed out. My older brother, Huxley, teased me the entire walk home about being a weak little baby.

"Wha-What is _that _for?" I asked, pointing a shaking finger at the huge needle.

"This? Oh, this is nothing," Artemis responded walking towards me. "This is just to prevent any facial hair from growing when you're in the Arena. No Capital girl wants to look at twelve hairy men all week long!" She giggles, like this is common knowledge, and, without _any_ warning, jams the needle into my chin.

I'm fairly certain everyone in the building hears my scream. Luckily, or unluckily, my scream was so high pitched I'm sure everyone thought it was a girl screaming.

"That didn't hurt too much, did it Zane?" Hestia pats my head, forgetting I still have gel in it. She sniffs in frustration, runs her tongue over her teeth, and wipes her hands again.

I am whimpering too much to answer her. I let them lead me over to the bath, but come back to focus when Aphrodite tells me to take off my clothes. _Excuse me?_ I am _not_ taking off my clothes in front of three strangers—especially _girl_ strangers.

Hestia sighs impatiently, like she has seen this hesitation a lot. "Take off your clothes, or we will take them off for you." She runs her tongue over her teeth for emphasis.

With that threat hanging over me, I quickly strip and get into the tub. Hestia washes the gel out of my hair, and Artemis scrubs me down with a gritty soap that smells like pine, but it takes away several layers of my skin.

After the bath, they give me a robe and tell me to sit patiently and wait for Hera, who I assume is my stylist. I have just barely sat down when the door flies open and Hera flies in.

Hera is a rail-thin woman with snow white hair cut in an intense bob, with not a single hair out of place. If I had to pick one word to describe Hera, it would be _pale._ Everything about her is pale, from her skin, to her clothes, to her pale blue eyes—not unlike my own.

The only splash of color on her is her blood red lipstick, which, of course, reminds me yet again of the Games.

She walks over and studies me critically. "Zane Telle. What will we ever do with you?"

I stay silent, wondering what she means. Isn't she supposed to have already designed my outfit?

She circles me like a hawk, checking to make sure the prep team did everything right. "Mhmm, Mhmm…" She slowly nods when she can't find anything wrong with me. "Alright!" She claps her hands loudly, making me jump. "Do you want to see your _amazing_ chariot outfit?!"

For a few seconds I entertain the idea of saying no, just to see what Octavia will do, but she doesn't seem like the type of person I should try and annoy. "Sure."

Octavia walks to the door, and impatiently gestures for me to follow her. The door leads to a closet. There is only one garment in the room, and she pulls it down. "Put this on."

I exit the closet, and begin to put it on. From the bag I pull out a pasty white jumpsuit with flashing LED lights, flat, white shoes, and white gloves. I groan silently. The jumpsuits stretchy material will only emphasize the face that I have no muscle, and will make me look weak in front of all of the Capital.

Octavia smiles when she sees me in it. "It gets even better!"

It got even worse. She pressed a button on my wrist, and the jumpsuit inflated until I looked like a cube. I have no clue what I'm supposed to be, until I go and look at myself in the mirror. The lights create a pattern on the now cube-like jumpsuit. I have been turned into a monitor from a very old computer.

When I imagined how bad my costume could be, I never expected it to be this bad. Still, I smile and lie through my teeth to Octavia. "This is…_wonderful_! I couldn't have imagined anything better."

She smiles, pleased with herself. "You need to go get down there. The other tributes should be waiting. I hope Dayta has a better costume than I do.

She doesn't. We meet each other in the hallway, and take a second to stare soundlessly at the monstrosities we are both wearing. In fact, I think her costume is worse than mine. She is also dressed as a part from an old computer, but she is dressed as the mouse, complete with little plastic ears attached to her head.

"Well," I say, trying to break the ice. "We definitely are not gaining any sponsors from these outfits." I mentally kick myself. Yeah, sure, I'm sure talking about our imminent deaths will _definitely_ break the ice.

Luckily, Dayta laughs. "I don't think even the best costume could make this look strong." She gestures to her body, which is clearly underfed like mine.

I laugh also, and we walk down the hallway together. On the train ride to the Capital we discussed our strategy in the Games, and decided that we both want to be allies with each other. It makes sense. We are both fifteen, were in the same class at school, and both work at the same job. I just hope I die first so I don't have to deal with her death.

Once we reach the stables we realize we are among the last tributes there. I think the only tributes not here are the ones from District Six. When I watched the recaps I made a special effort to remember people's names, and I think I did a pretty good job. District One, Pulchra Gemstone and Avery Reid are both clothed in shining gold, with sparkly black gems scattered over their outfits.

District Two, Hallie Reese and Gladius Marks are dressed like Roman soldiers, something I learned about in school last year. They both look strong and fierce, unlike Dayta and I.

District Four are dressed like a merman and a mermaid. The boy, Cassian Vespers, is wearing green shorts, with lines of golden material, making them look like they are made out of seaweed. His chest is bare, but he has been covered in gold glitter, making him shine from the chariot. He has gold sandals that wrap around his legs up to his knees. The girl, Nawfar Marella, has on a seashell bikini with a floor length, _very_ tight skirt that is blue-green and shimmery. The skirt has a rope net train and she has some rope bracelets and a tropical flower in her hair.

Oscar, the boy tribute from District Five, is wearing a modified suit, not unlike my own, that lights up. It lights up and has small pinwheels that spin around when he walks. The girl tribute, Annabelle Greene, is wearing the same thing; except hers had padding over her chest to make her breasts look bigger.

Juliet O'Hare and Cooper Bale, the District Six tributes are _still_ not here, and I'm starting to wonder what would happen if the chariot left without them, but I instead focus on District Seven's Jay Garden and Raff Cronin. They are both dressed in tight black shirts, showing off the muscles they have developed from chopping trees, and tan pants. In their hands they each hold two dulled down hatchets.

Alina Chapelier and her District Partner, whom I cannot for the life of me remember his name, are wearing silver long sleeved shirts. They have bronze, tight pants on, I assume to represent the different fabrics District Eight makes. Alina is fidgeting around, muttering about wugglemares, and her District Partner looks very uncomfortable to be standing so near her.

District Nine's Malone Bibidwi and Stephanie Turow are both wearing a very interesting costume. They are wearing knee-length tunics that look like they have been woven out of jungle patterned fabric. However, when I creep close to looks at them, I see that they are made up of thousands of tiny gears are turning, representing, I assume, the gears in the factories.

With Dayta at my side, I creep closer to District Ten's chariots. I only remember the name of one of the tributes: Maximus Faccolto Jr. I hear him tell his District Partner, "For the last time—call me Max!" I can understand why he is annoyed. Of all the chariot outfits I have seen, this one is by far the worst. The costume looks like it has been designed by a hungry toddler. The girl is wearing a dress and the boy a suit, but they are both made of bacon and ham. Don't get me wrong—they smell _great_, but they look hideous. They are both wearing crowns that are made of—could it be—beef jerky? I shake my head in sympathy, and move onto District Eleven.

I remember both of their names: Jasmine Meadows and Terrance Mablesteen. Their costumes are also pretty good. Jasmine has on a floor length gown made of different fruits. She has flowers woven into her hair and a sprig of wheat peaks out from the sash on her dress. Terrance Has on a suit made of the same fruits, but instead of flowers in his hair he wears a hat made of leaves. I think they both represent their District the best, except for maybe Dayta and I. Jasmine is signing frantically to Terrance, and Terrance looks uncomfortable and confused. Just a wild guess here, but he _maybe_ doesn't know sign language.

District Twelve tributes are both dressed in coal miner's uniforms. I see the girl, Annie, talking to her stylist, who keeps wanting to fix her hair. "It's _fine_ Pashmere! I'll be okay!" Pashmere exits the stables, and the girl, Brooke, tells the boy, Kolton that she can't take much more of her stylist. The boy nods in agreement.

Dayta and I return to our chariots in silence. The competition is fierce and our death warrants have officially been signed. We sigh, and ready ourselves as the chariots start to move. I hear thunderous applause and cheers as Districts One and Two come into view. It's the same for District Three every year. We are stuck between two Career Districts, and nobody every pays us any attention.

Sure enough, as we roll out into the square, nobody cheers for Zane and Dayta. We will forever be the two forgotten tributes.

**Who else feels bad for them!? Please don't forget to review. I tried to follow what everybody wanted for their chariot outfits, and I apologize if I didn't get it quite right. **

**seanthesheep365- I hope you know which character was a shoutout to you!**

**As an apology to everyone for the tribute mix-up, I wrote a song! It's a parody of the song Dumb Ways to Die. If you haven't seen it just go to YouTube and watch it—it's pretty funny. Anyway, here is my parody! I hope you like it.**

**Meet a mutated bear**

**Wander into a tribute's lair**

**Eat rabbit meat that's out of date**

**Let your ally use you as Career bait.**

**Dumb ways to die**

**So many dumb ways to die**

**It's hard to survive-ive-ive**

**When everybody wants me to die.**

**Go head to head with a mutt**

**Sit on a knife and slice off your butt**

**Fall from a place really high**

**Call a Career spineless if you hear them cry.**

**Dumb ways to die**

**So many dumb ways to die**

**There's a Career outside-ide-ide**

**And boy does he want me to die.**

**Take Cato's spear in your shin**

**Get trapped from a cave-in**

**Decide no mushroom should go to waste**

**Eat the poisonous berries in your haste**

**Dumb ways to die**

**So many dumb ways to die**

**It's hard to survive-ive-ive**

**When everybody wants me to die.**

**Keep a tracker jacker as a pet**

**Get trapped inside one of Beetee's nets**

**Goad them into a fight**

"**Gee, I wonder: What's this Nightlock taste like?"**

**So many dumb ways to die**

**There's a Career outside-ide-ide**

**And boy does he want me to die.**

**Disturb Katniss during hunting season **

**Kick a nest of tracker jackers for no good reason **

**Throw something at Clove's head **

**Try to head around the force field at the arena's edge **

**Step of the platform early; and you're dead **

**They may not rhyme but they're quite possibly **

**The Dumbest ways to die **

**Dumbest ways to die **

**Dumbest ways to di-i-i-ie **

**Eventually**

**Regrettably**

**We all must die.**

_**Be Safe Around Tributes**_

_**A Message From The Capital**_

**Anyway, please review and I apologize for the long A/Ns!**

**P.S: One more thing!**

**NEW CONTEST!**

**It is, in fact, a complete the sentence.**

_**You rise from the plate in the Hunger Games. The clock is slowly counting away the minute you have and you start to panic. Once the buzzer sounds you…**_

**Like usually, you have until the next chapter to submit your answer! Don't forget about the points you get per review!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	12. Odd One Out

**A/N: I know what you all are thinking—"What?! I normal update within the week with no format issues or tribute loss!?" I know, I know. I am just as shocked as all of you. I'm finally home, with stable Wi-Fi, backups of all the tribute files, and a working computer.**

**I would like to thank everyone the read and reviewed the last chapter. It was actually one of my favorite chapters, so the positive words really made me happy. I would like to thank everyone who submitted a Complete the Sentence also. Unfortunately, I could only pick one, and I'm sorry if it was not yours. I picked LoopyLou1990's because I feel like I would do the same thing. (I'm very clumsy)**

**This is what the answer was:** You rise from the plate in the Hunger Games. The clock is slowly counting away the minute you have and you start to panic. Once the buzzer sounds you…_**Well if it was me I run to the cornucopia and with my exceptionally bad luck, I'd trip, fall and impale myself on a spear. Then as I go to pull it out because of the pain I'd pull with such force that I'd hit the closest person (probably a Career) and kill them. I die with a smile on my face cos at least I gave the weaker tributes one less Career to worry about.**_

**I would like to say to StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2—I was **_**so**_** close to picking your answer! It made me laugh and I hope you keep submitting answers.**

**Anyway, the current sponsor points are as follows—**

**seanthesheep356- 5**

**LoopyLou1990- 4**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 4**

**Wish on the Star- 3**

**Cricket the Clarinetist- 2**

**MusicForLife28 (Guest) – 1**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! This morning, at 10:24, I held a reaping. I put each tribute on a notecard, folded it so they were all exactly the same size, and I picked seven tributes. These seven tributes will die in the Bloodbath. I am alerting you all to the absolute randomness of the reaping because I do not want any flames because of who I kill off. I had no say in who was picked, so I hope you won't judge the story because of it. Thanks.**

**Because I am running out of chapters, and I still have several more tributes I have decided to separate the each chapters into several different tribute's POVs. The chapters will, as a result, be much longer, but I'm sure you guys will not be too upset about that****. This chapter will be split between District Eleven's Terrance brought to you by StarcrossedLoversOfDisstrict2 and District One's Avery Reid brought to you by IceVeinsVillian. I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to R&R!**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Odd One Out**

**Terrance Mablesteen POV**

I wonder what Grandmother would say about the chariot rides last night. I was dressed in a suit made up of fruit with a hat of leaves, and I think I looked pretty good. It's hard to get along with my District Partner, Jasmine Meadows, because she only speaks in sign language.

I suppose sometimes you can only try and make the best of what life has handed to you. I know that things don't come to me unless I go out and earn them. Back home, if I wanted food or water, I had to work to find them.

In District Eleven, where everyone's skin is dark, I stand out with my white skin. I never knew my father, and I suppose that's where I get my skin color from. Mom got pregnant with me when she was young, and she didn't know my father either. I'm guessing he wasn't from District Eleven, because I've never seen another white person in the whole district.

Mom was sick a lot when I was a kid. When I was seven she was no longer able to work, so we moved across the district to live with her parents. I didn't want to leave my friends, but, as every child in Panem knows, you have to grow up pretty quickly if you want to survive. Still, it took me a long time to adjust to my new home.

I did enjoy the freedom I had out in the countryside, but my grandparents were very demanding. Before moving to their farm, I had never worked a day in my life. I wasn't old enough for a job, and Mom tried to protect me from manual labor as much as she could.

At the farm, however, I worked long hours with a lot of physically demanding work. My grandparents, being like my Mom and I, were too poor to feed me properly. However, they were never mean to me and withed me the best. They only had me working because they believe that everyone has to earn what they get. I guess that's what I believe too.

Even though they are demanding, strict, and complain about my work, I have grown to love my grandparents, and I know I will miss them.

While Grandmother and Grandfather did protect me at home, I was bullied a lot at school. Kids would laugh at me, call me an outcast, hit me, and steal my lunch the few days I could afford to bring one. I never did anything about it, because in the back of my mind, I still thought I could still win some of them over.

When I was twelve, and some boys were bullying me after school, a boy from my class came over and told them to leave me alone. When the boys started advancing on the boy, whose name turned out to be Josiah—Josh for short— he knocked one of them out. The other boy ran away, and Josh introduced himself to me.

Over the years, Josh taught me boxing and some other simple self-defense and, after that, people around school stopped mocking me because of my color. For a while, life was better. I had Josh as a friend, and people were too afraid of me to tease or bully me.

But then, about half a year ago, Mom got really sick. She spent most of her time in bed, and the doctors told me that she doesn't have long to live. There is medicine to treat what she needs, but it is _way_ more than we can afford.

I was considering volunteering, but I decided dying wouldn't help Mom. Now that I have been reaped, I need to win for her. If I can get that money, I can get her the medicine he needs to live. I just wish I had the resolve when I was first reaped. I was really shocked, and extremely nervous. I froze on the spot and Josh had to shove me to get moving. Unfortunately, this caused me to fall down. I tried my best not to look like a total weakling, but I didn't really do a very good job of that.

Josh was like a brother to me. He has dark skin, brown eyes, and short, curly, black hair. He does sometimes poke fun at me, but never in a mean way, so I can easily mock him back without him getting hurt. He's seventeen, like me, but he is several inches shorter than me. I am almost six feet, while he is barely 5'6''.

I am jolted from my nostalgia when Jasmine enters the room. She signs frantically to me, but I still cannot understand her. Finally, she opens her mouth and stammers in a high voice, "Are…You—" She points at me—"Ready… For –Reaping?"

I nod empathetically. I've given up trying to mouth the words, because she clearly doesn't understand me. She gestures to the door, and I stand up. Randall Porter, my mentor, told us to train with some weapons, but stay with the non-weapon skills. I told him about my hand to hand combat skills, and he told me to stay ways from those at all costs.

I'm rather good at survival skills. There is a shortage of water on the farm, so I have to be able to find clues as to where it is. I know a lot about edible plants, since I am from the _District of Edible Plants_. Josh has gotten me to a point where I am very good at boxing and other hand to hand combat, and, because of helping with the harvest, I am a good climber. I am fast at running long distances, and I'm pretty good at reading people and adjusting my strategies accordingly.

However, I can't sprint, swim, and I pass out at the sight of blood. I don't talk much, but when I do, people tell me that I am very loud.

I twist my ring around my finger as Jasmine and I step into the elevator. Grandfather gave it to me on reaping day, and I decided to keep it as my token. It is silver, with detailed engravings. It is generations old, probably before Panem was even created.

I talked for a while with Randall about my strategy. He told me that, unless I learn to sprint in the next four days, I won't be able to get anything from the Bloodbath. I want to find a good, trustworthy ally who might help me get some stuff from the Bloodbath, stay away from Careers, and stay fed and safe. Once there are only a few tributes left I'll take what I can and leave my alliance.

Jasmine and I exit the elevator and walk into the Training Center. We are greeted my Atala, the new training instructor. "Welcome District Eleven. Please feel free to try any of the stations. Remember, there is NO fighting with other tributes, and do not damage any of the Capital's property." She moves on to give the same speech to Zane and Dayta of District Three.

I leave Jasmine's side and go to talk to them. They don't look like they could sprint to the Cornucopia, but they seem smart. I prefer brains over brawn, and, if they are nice, I think I may have found my allies.

"Hey guys."

They look surprised that someone is talking to them. "He-Hey Terrance."

I am slightly surprised they know my names. I guess I know theirs, so I can't judge them. "I'm sorry about your chariot costumes." I really am. They were dressed like an old fashioned computer monitor and mouse. They looked atrocious, and probably didn't gain any sponsors.

Zane shrugs. "Well, you know, we _are _from District Three. We weren't really expecting much, were we?" He turns to Dayta when he asks that. She smiles and shakes her head.

I smile too. I like these tributes. "So, do you guys want to focus on weapon skills or survival skills?"

Dayta laughs. "You heard Zane. We're from District Three. Which do you _think_ we'd prefer." She smiles at me to let me know she's joking.

I give a small shrug. "All right then. Let's go hit up those survival stations!"

I walk towards the station with a spring in my step, and two possible allies by my side.

**Avery Reid POV**

Holland, my mentor, has alerted me to the fact that I am _the_ most popular tribute! That's right—Not _one_ of the popular tributes, not _in the top tin_—no—I am _the_ most popular tribute. I would like to think it is because of my wonderful skill with swords and swimming, or my wonderful flirting habits, but I know it's because of my modeling.

Ever since I was a kid everyone told me I should be the Capital's poster boy. I'm eighteen, 6'4'', perfect athletic build, artificial, deep, purple eyes, shining blond hair, and incredible lips.

When I was four my parents, wanting to raise me to be a Career, started training me with duel swords. I discovered I had a knack for it, and I have the muscles to show for it. My dad was especially interested in my training. He is one of the head trainers for District One, but, according to District One's laws, he was not allowed to give me any special treatment.

He has, however pushed my Mom into training me harder and longer than any other guy in the District. Mom never really trained me because of Dad. She was more interested in my career. She is a retired stylist, and still wants me to discover how "beautiful I can be inside and out."

Back when she lived in the Capital and styled for District Six, one of her tribute's costumes ripped in the middle of the chariot rides. She was, fired, but nobody remembers anymore, so it didn't slow down my career.

My sister, Alexis, is a future tribute in training. She's not as pretty as I am, so she couldn't model like I do. Dad has taken control of her training, by pulling strings in the Training world. I'm surprised that no one has noticed yet, because Alexis keeps getting more and more opportunities, and nobody—_nobody—_ever beats her. She's only sixteen, but she is estimated to volunteer for the Games in two years.

She was the one who gave me my token: two gold earrings; both in the same ear. However, the Token Board revoked them, saying that I could use the points to stab somebody. The more I think about it, the more I agree with them, but I still wish they would give them back I do miss my family, and I wish I could have this one thing that connects me to them.

But I do have a _pretty great_ fan base here in the Capital. I have fourteen different brands I model for—five cosmetic and nine swimwear advertisements. I've never visited the Capital in person, but I'm popular enough that everybody wants to sponsor me. Apparently there was devastation here when I got reaped, but my darling escort, Paris, managed to squeeze a few more sponsors out of that fiasco.

My public opinion is sky high, partly because of my lack of relationships. My managers thought it best to keep me single, so that people in the Capitol will see me as a possibly, even though I secretly find them gross and fake.

While the possibility is slim, if I die in the Games, at least I know my family will be well off. Thanks to my modeling career, we are very rich and have a very high status. Everyone in my family is grateful to me for modeling, by I actually enjoy it.

Two others in District One model: a girl, Shimmer, and a boy, Platinum. We started as just modeling partners, but we quickly became friends. In almost every single one of my posters they are at my side. A few years ago, however, they both quit to focus on their tribute training.

I don't see them as often, which is sad, but we still talk whenever we do hang out.

The glass elevator lurches to stop at the bottom floor, jarring me out of my memories and making me topple into the District Nine boy, Malone Bibidwi.

He looks like he has been jolted out of his thoughts too, and he stares at me. "Hey, watch where you're going, Avery."

I know he didn't mean anything by it, but I have to prove my dominance. "Watch it yourself, _Mal_."

I turn away from him, walking briskly towards the doors of the Training Center. Malone, poor kid, puts himself on my kill list when he bumps my shoulder on his way to the door, looks back, and sneers, "_Don't _call me Mal."

I feel slightly guilty, mostly because I wasn't even trying to taunt him when I called him Mal. I'm still slightly out of focus when Nawfar Marella, the District Four tribute runs into me while getting off the elevator. For a second she stares at me in disdain, but then her face composes into the face of a sweet little girl. I don't know how she manages to make me put my guard down, because she is, after all, eighteen, but she just looks so _sweet_.

"Oops!" Nawfar giggles and helps me up. "I can just be _so_ clumsy sometimes!"

I feel myself relax and I smile. I'm used to manipulating people—especially girls—but it seems I _already_ have Nawfar wrapped around my finger because of my looks. "It's fine. I was zoning out. Shall we?"

I gallantly hold out my arm, and Nawfar takes it with a small giggle. She squeezes my muscle. "Oh my _gosh!_ You are, like, _so_ muscular!" I smile. She is just like the girls back in District One—petty, dumb, and easily won over. I flex, and she gasps and smiles up at me.

Once we enter the Training Center, we walk over to the other Careers. Everybody else is already there, even though Nawfar and I are not late. Hallie Reese, my District Partner, seems to have already taken control.

"All right people!" Hallie claps her hands and all the Careers look at her. I guess we found our new Career leader. "We need to divide up the stations and hone what we are all best at. "I am good at swords, spears, axes, and knives. Now—I will start with the axe station. Does anybody else have any specialty weapons?"

This is my chance. I need to assert myself as a strong member of the Careers before someo-

"I'm good at spears. I'll take that station."

Darn it. I look over as Cassian Vespers, the District Four male. I can't believe he beat me to it. I need to grab the next station. "I'll take the sword station. I've trained with them my whole life."

Hallie nods. "Pulchra—what about you?"

Pulchra responds. "I'll take the axe station, but I do want to try the traps today."

Nawfar speaks up next. "I also want to tune up my trapping skills too but I'll take the knife station."

Hallie looks around. "Hey guys—where's Gladius?"

Pulchra responds. "Well President Snow's granddaughter, Katie, made a mistake. Gladius is in district4person's house right now, and can't get out. If he doesn't find his way here in the next few chapters they will be forced to reap a new tribute!"

We soon forget about Gladius and get on with training. A couple hours later we take a break and take some time to see if any alliances are starting to emerge in the tribute group.

Over by the archery station District Three's Dayta and Zane and District Eleven's Terrance Mablesteen are trying, and failing, to shoot arrows from five yards away.

District Nine's Stephanie and Malone—eugh, Malone—are practicing fire starting. They are actually not as bad as I would have thought them to be.

I can see Annabelle Green, Juliet O'Hare, Cooper Bale, Oscar, and Jasmine Meadows hanging out by the edible plants station. Alina, the crazy chick, is muttering randomness in the corner. Everyone else looks to be alone, but they could still form alliances as the week progresses.

I know I have my alliance set up. Now, I just have to work on climbing my way to the top of the Career Chain.

**Nawfar Marella POV**

I look over at Avery. Popular jocks like him are all the same: Self-Centered, stupid, and so so _so_ easy to manipulate. I have him wrapped around my middle finger, even while he thinks I am wrapped around him. I let out a little, fake giggle just to amuse myself. _Oh, Avery. You have no idea what you're in for._

**Nawfar was created by MaximumAngel1. I wasn't planning on having her POV at the end, but I just wanted everyone to know that she was faking the whole cutesy giggly girl act.**

**After I got some positive feedback from my song, I thought it might be cool if I post some Hunger Games related fun stuff at the end of each chapter. You know—a little "Thank you for putting up with all of my madness."**

**This week it will be a wonderful, nonalcoholic drink. To keep it Hunger Games related I will call it Tribute's Blood (because it's red).**

**Pour a can of Sprite (Or Sierra Mist) into a glass. Squeeze in the juice of one whole orange (or one cup of orange juice if you don't have oranges). Add three tablespoons of cherry grenadine, and add three (or more) maraschino cherries! Mix it up and enjoy!**

**One more question- Would you guys be interested if I had a Standing Alone instagram account? I don't use it that often, but it might be cool if I could post a video of the 'reaping' to decide which tribute dies, or have a picture of what the Tribute's Blood looks like. Let me know in your review.**

**In fact, to make sure I get answers, this chapter's contest is to answer my poll question- "Should I have a Standing Alone instagram?" (Shameless bribery) **

**It is worth one point to answer. **

**Don't forget to read and review what you thought about the chapter!**


	13. Diving In

**A/N: I would like to thanks everybody who reviewed the last chapter and answered the poll question. I did create a Standing Alone instagram, so, if anybody wants to follow it, it is called TrackerJackson.**

**The sponsor points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 7**

**LoopyLou1990- 6**

**MoreThanLess- 6**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 5**

**Wish on the Star- 5**

**Cricket the Clarinetist- 4**

**MusicForLife28- 1**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 1**

**Tekiri- 1 **

**The tributes in this chapter are Malone Bibidwi, created by Cricket the Clarinetist, and Nawfar Marella, created by MazimumAngel1. I hope you all enjoy it. Don't forget to review!**

**Malone Bibidwi POW**

My run-in with Avery at the elevator frazzled me. I'm normally not that bold, but, when people antagonize me enough, I get the courage to stand up to anybody. When I told him not to call me Mal I'm pretty sure I was put on his kill list, but I absolutely _hate_ it when people call me Mal.

The only nickname I allow is when Ryan calls me BB. My real name is Malone Bibidwi, and I'm a sixteen year old boy from District Nine. Ryan, my best—and only—friend is like a little brother to me. I'm a loner, especially because people make fun of my big nose.

I also don't have many people to talk to, in order to improve my social skills. When I was nine my parents died in a factory accident, and I'm an only child. Ryan is actually my friend, Jacob's, little brother. Jacob was reaped in the 30th Hunger Games, four years ago. When I went in to say goodbye to him, he asked me to take care of Ryan.

Ryan was pretty sick at that point, and nobody knew the cure. Ryan still sometimes gets sick, and I then have to work his shift at the hospital so we don't starve. I don't get out much, because I have to work double most days, but, when I do, I sneak out of the house to look at the stars with Ryan.

We live in the grain district, but Ryan and I are still underweight and underfed. We look alike, with mousey brown hair, hazel eyes and golden flecks, pale skin that peels from too much lung exposure, and a large hook nose. Mine is bigger than his and it is my most self-conscious physical attribute.

Besides Ryan, I have one other friend: Roy Falem. When my parents died I was shipped off to the orphanage in the worst part of town. Roy had a rich uncle, who died from a heart attack, and left all of his money to his cousin.

He was one year older than me, and he promised, that, as soon as he became of age, he would adopt me and become my legal guardian. Four years ago, when I was twelve, Roy died the same way my parents did: sliced open by a scythe. I was devastated. Two years later, Ryan's immune system became even sicker, and I had to quit school to take care of him.

A few weeks ago, Ryan was reaped. He is only thirteen, and I knew what had to happen. My hand immediately shot up into the air. "I volunteer!" Ryan was actually mad at me for volunteering. He said that neither of us had a shot, and, if he stayed in the district, he would die anyway, so he should have gone.

I still don't regret my decision though. If I win, I can get proper help for Ry. My mentor, Ursinda Walbeeran, told me that I have absolutely zero sponsors. I wasn't really expecting much, but I thought I might have at least one.

I am pretty resourceful, although, other than a scythe, I'm not very good at weapons. I have a natural talent that I discovered during the past three days. I hate bows, however, so the skill is basically useless. Even though I don't regret volunteering, I do regret not having a token. The past few days I have been looking for _anything _I could use for a token, but I can find anything.

Today is the private training day, and I have to go in and show my "skills" off to a panel of biased Capital citizens. People do underestimate me. I'm light on my feet, quiet, and good at climbing trees. However, I'm not very patient, not very strong, and I _hate_ eating meat. I don't want to compromise my veganism while in the arena, but I know I will probably end up having to eat meat eventually. I guess my strategy is just to wing it, and get out alive.

I promised myself I wouldn't be in an alliance, but my District Partner, Stephanie Turow, is being very nice to me. I know I'll have to kill her eventually, but I wouldn't mind being in an alliance with her. Possibly.

I walk into the holding center, where all the tributes are gathered waiting for their turn to impress the Gamemakers. I, being from District Nine, will be one of the last to go. I'm glad, because this will give me time to figure out what I'm going to do.

I know I hate using a bow, but I'm sure I could impress them with my aim. I know for sure I will climb the wall, showing how light I am on my feet, identify poisonous berries and leaves to show I can survive without meat, and swing the scythe. Sadly, the scythe may show how little muscle I have, but I know I have to display talent with at least one weapon.

Pulchra, or Peach as she goes by, is called. She stands up from the Career table, looks back at the tributes, gives us a wink, and sashays to the door.

I realize I am still standing, so I awkwardly take a seat next to Stephanie. I feel a connection to her, not only because we are both from District Nine, but also because she volunteered along with me. I asked her why on the train to the Capital, and she said she needed the money. Her life wasn't great back home, and she would rather die than keep living the life she had. It seemed dark for a while, but then I realized: Isn't that just the same thing I'm doing? I would rather die than see Ry back at home with no medicine.

We haven't yet talked about alliances. I don't think she is really looking for an ally either, but I feel like we would be of use to each other. I lean over to her, and think of a way I can casually mention alliances while talking about something else.

"Hey, you want to be in an alliance with me?" I mentally kick myself. _Smooth, Malone_. "I mean—what are you going to do for your private training?"

Stephanie looks at me oddly. Thankfully, she chooses to ignore my first question. "Probably throw a spear or some knives. I'll also identify plants; show my medical skills, and some other survival skills." She tells me all of her strengths, but it doesn't seem like she is bragging about them. She is just coolly and calmly answering my question.

I'm starting to like her more and more. There's just one problem: I don't _want _to like any of the tributes! The more human they are to me, the harder they will be to kill.

This conversation is getting very awkward. I look up, to see when Stephanie is going in to the Center. They are on District Six. Juliet O'Hare is going into the room now. Everyone knows what she is going to do.

During training, she started throwing sickles. She didn't know that they weren't a throwing weapon, and the Careers started laughing at her. Determined to show them, she spent the rest of the training days perfecting her aim with the sickles, and now she scares everyone with her accuracy.

I sit and twiddle my thumbs for a while before turning to Stephanie. "Did you find a token? I forgot to ask my friend for one, and I couldn't find one around my room."

She looks back at me. "Yeah. I found a pearl bracelet with from my Mom's tiny collection of jewelry when I was a kid. I kept it to sell, but I decided to use it as a token when I chose to volunteer."

I nod at look back up at the tributes, actually looking forward to getting into the Training Center and away from the most awkward conversation in the history of awkward conversations.

The District Ten girl, Sami Kilmer, is also looking at the door. I have no idea who is in the Center, so I focus instead on Sami.

I have no idea what she will do in her private session. During training, she was worthless at every weapon and every survival skill. If anybody in the entire tribute pool is a bloodbath tribute, it will be her. Still, I feel bad for the poor kid. She reminds me of Ry.

I decide to go talk to her, knowing that it would be less awkward than sitting here soundlessly next to Stephanie. Of course, as soon as I stand up, she goes back to sit by her District Partner, Max Faccolto Jr. Now I'm standing up in a room full of people who will be trying to kill me in a couple days, without any clear intention of what I'm doing.

Luckily, nobody has yet noticed me. Then I sneeze._ Great_. Just call me Socially Awkward Malone. I quickly sit down. The tributes stare at me in confusion for a couple more seconds before turning back to their allies.

The Careers are all sitting together, like usual. The District Three tributes and the District Eleven boy are sitting together, and the District Five girl, District Eleven girl, District Ten girl, and the District Six girl are sitting together.

Finally—_Finally_—Stephanie is called in for her private training session. She quietly stands up and walks through the door without making a scene. The more I get to know Stephanie—using the word "know" loosely—the more I realize how independent she is. I don't think it would be a good idea to ally with her after all.

In fact, I don't want to ally with anybody! The closer I get to any of the tributes, the harder it will be to kill them.

A few minutes later, my name is called over the loudspeaker, and I stride into the room, confident that nothing on the other side of the door is worse than the tributes on this side.

**Nawfar Marella POV**

The Gamemakers stare at me critically as I confidentially barge into the Center. I have trained for this moment since I was eight, but that doesn't stop me from pursing my lips and thrusting my breasts out at some of the male Gamemakers. They immediately sit up straighter and look at me closer. While I want to get my score based on my skills, a little extra help never hurts.

I somersault over to the trident and spear stations and select a white gold tipped, diamond encrusted beautiful trident. I toss it around in my hand for a while to get the feel before I turn on my heel and hurl it one hundred yards into the center of the archery target. _Nailed it_!

Without breaking stride, I grab a spear and hurling it though the rope holding up the sandbag, and hitting the center of a different archery target. I then sprint around the track until I reach the swimming station. Back home, when I was sixteen, I won a gold medal in the intra-district swim meet. The swim simulation is why I was allowed to volunteer.

The only simulation they have available is in a long course, fifty meter pool. I shrug. It's okay; I'm good at both long course and short course. I strap myself into the simulator and I immediately enter the calm, chlorine smelling pool.

I stand up on the block, and curl my fingers in anticipation. My feet shuffle slightly as I try to get a proper grip on the slippery block. The buzzer beeps, and I catapult up and off the block and into the smooth water below.

My powerful arms strike the water and my feet flutter behind me, propelling me towards the wall on the other side. I execute a perfect flip turn and dolphin kick a quarter of the way back. When I get close to the other side, I stretch out my hand and brush the time pad with my fingers.

The machine beeps and the simulation is turned off. I look at my time: 100 meters in 58:35. Not my best, but fast enough the Gamemakers will be impressed. I wish the pool was short course. I can swim 100 yards in less than fifty-six seconds.

Last, but not least. I sprint over to the plant identification station. The past few days of training I have been focusing mostly on survival skills, with the occasional spear station to keep me physically fit.

The trainer rapidly flips over cards, with pictures of plants. I sort them quickly into either the poisonous pile of the safe pile. I only miss one, the Black Angel Trumpet Seed.

I sprint back to where the Gamemakers sit, and I finish with a round off, showing how much agility I have and my flexibility. I lick my lips and smile. There's a smattering of light applause, which I don't know how to interpret. I was expecting a bigger reaction, but maybe this is how they react to every tribute.

A few minutes later I am back in my room, sampling salmon roe, which was always just a _little_ too expensive for my family to afford.

I force myself to get up from the bed and walk over to the desk in the corner of my room. I am normally the master of reading people. Ever since I saw the reaping recaps on the trains I have been keeping a list of all the tributes, and what I think they did in their private training sessions today.

I start with District One. Avery used the double swords. While I may not like his pompous, "better than you" attitude, I have to admit that he is _very_ good with swords. Peach, as we all discovered, was good at both traps and all melee weapons. I'm guessing she stuck with knifes and throwing axes, because of her stellar aim.

District Two came next. Hallie Reese, the unspoken leader of the Careers, was amazing at hand to hand combat with daggers, and spear throwing. While she may not have the knack of survival skills, she will be golden as long as she sticks with the Careers. Gladdie didn't show up for any of the training sessions, and I hear the Capital is trying to create a clone of him. However, they don't know everything about him, so they have to base it off of what they have seen him do.

I don't even bother with District Three. Everybody knows that Zane and Dayta aren't making it past the bloodbath. I cross them off my list, and move on to Cassian Vespers.

Even though he is my District Partner, he has managed to keep his past life a mystery. The three days of training, he showed his proficiently with knot tying and tridents. He tried the tracking station all three days, but he is hopeless at orientation. In the tracking simulator, one day, he actually walked off a cliff!

I don't know much about Annabelle Green and Oscar Ferine. People think they will be bloodbath tributes, along with District Six's Cooper Bale. His District Partner, Juliet, is _crazy_ good with throwing sickles. Even the Careers have decided to stay away from her.

Jay Garden is predicted to also be a bloodbath, but her District Partner is _huge_! If they decide to ally they might make it awhile into the Games.

The District Eight girl, Alina Chapelier, is crazy. During training, she threw a knife over my head, claiming she was saving me from wugglemares. I don't know anything about her District Partner, Freddy Winston. He was barely there during training, and I never saw him talk.

Stephanie Turow, the District Eight girl, is quiet, reserved, but skilled. The boy, Malone Bibidwi, is completely closed off and socially awkward. He didn't do very well at training, but he looked as if he was holding back.

Both of the District Ten tributes, Sami Mast and Max Faccolto Jr. look like bloodbath tributes. The deaf one from District Eleven looks like a bloodbath tribute as well, but the boy, Terrance Mablesteen looks like he will make it far.

The District Twelves, as usual, look like bloodbath material.

I hope everyone who is wimpy dies in the bloodbath. It would lower the number of players, and I would have a better chance of making it home quicker.

I walk into the den to see the training scores, and find Cassian already there. I continue trying to get him to talk to me. "Hey, are you here to see the scores?"

He gives me a grunt. Well then. I curl up in one of the padded chairs, and flick on the television. Caesar Flickerman is smiling in his shining gold suit, minutes away from announcing the scores. He is talking about bets the Capital citizens have placed on different tributes to get the highest score. Avery Reid is the heavy favorite, followed by Hallie, but I am third. I glance smugly at Cassian, or Number Five, as I will call him in my head from now on.

Finally, the training scores start to flash across the screen. Peach appears first, with a score of nine. I shrug a little; that was expected. Avery's score of ten is also expected. Hallie also gets a ten, but the Capital estimates that Gladdie would have gotten a nine.

Dayta gets her District Number: a three. Zane does a little better with a four, and I shine above both of them with my 10. Yes! I'm tied with Avery and Hallie! Now all I have to do is sit back and let the sponsor money start rolling in. Cassian gets a nine. It's a good score, but not as good as mine!

Annabelle and Oscar both get sixes and Juliet O'Hare ties Peach, Cassian, and Gladdie with her nine! We all knew she was good, but none of us expected her to be _this_ good. I really have to watch out for this girl.

Cooper Bale gets a six, and Jay Garden gets a five. Raff Cronin scores an eight, expected because of his size. Alina Chapelier receives a two, the lowest so far. She probably just sat in the room and muttered about wugglemares. I laugh to myself. It will be fun to torture her mentally when in the arena.

Freddy Winston scores a five, and Stephanie Turow scores an eight. She is small, so I know she must have a talent at something. Malone Bibidwi also scores and eight. I _knew_ he was holding back in training. Now I don't know what his talent is, so I make a mental note to keep away from him in the arena.

Sami Mast scores a four, and Max Jr. scores a five. Jasmine Meadows scores higher than expected with her seven, and Terrance Mablesteen scores an eight. Both of the District Twelve tributes score fives, and I shut off the television.

I am very pleased with my score. No tribute scored higher than me. I go to my room and fall asleep, pleased with my chances.

**Thanks for reading! This chapter's contest is to suggest different contest ideas to me. PLEASE PM THEM TO ME! DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN A REVIEW! Normally I am okay with that, but it helps me stay organized if they are PMed to me.**

**This chapter's special tribute related thing is just the instagram. Remember—don't forget to follow TrackerJackson!**

**I'll see you all next chapter!**

**~TrackerJackson :D**


	14. Underdog

**A/N: I have a new oneshot up, Demons, and I would like to thanks everybody who read and review it. It seriously made my day to read all the beautiful reviews.**

**I'm giving the contest point to Tereki, formerly Cricket the Clarinetist.****She didn't mean to, but she gave me a great contest idea when she submitted her Max tribute profile. The sponsor points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 9**

**LoopyLou1990- 8**

**MoreThanLess- 7**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 6**

**Wish on the Star- 6**

**Tereki- 5**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 1**

**Oscar Ferine POV**

I prepare myself as I get ready to step out onto stage. I smooth down my outfit, a black suit with tiny lights on the lapels, click my metallic silver shoes together, and pat down my flashing pants. My stylist, Sara Croftwood, is a little too energetic about the Capital's latest fashions. She is friendly, but I can tell she has already given up home about me winning.

I turn to look at the people around me. Annabelle Green, my District Partner, is dressed in a cute, black dress studded with tiny lights that flash randomly. It hurts my eyes to look at her, so I look at Juliet O'Hare who is standing behind me.

She is wearing a navy blue dress with a sweetheart neckline at the top, and flowy, sheer fabric that tumbles gracefully down to the ground. Her hair is done up in an elegant bun, with one strand hanging down. She looks graceful, but also deadly at the same time.

Peach, at the top of the line, starts to move, and the rest start to follow. As I walk out onto the stage, the bright lights dazzle me as they shine off all the metallic accessories that are popular this year. I think the onslaught of shiny is brought on by Caesar Flickerman's current color: shiny gold.

Peacekeepers lead up in a uniform line towards a row of golden chairs. The audience's screaming is deafening and I fight the urge to cover my ears. I try to look strong and sponsor-worthy, but I'm worried I'm not really making an impression.

I guess that's rather good for me. I'm pretty shy, and I don't want to make myself a target. My strategy is to basically stay hidden, set traps, and kill off tributes that follow me. I have only one ally: Raff Cronin from District Seven.

I honestly think I have a chance. I only got a six in training, but I didn't show the Gamemakers my skills with traps. All I showed them was my sills with electronics. I used some parts from the swimming simulator to construct a basic bomb. Raff scored an eight, an impressive score to anybody who isn't a Career. As long as we stick together, I think one of us has a real shot, especially because people tend to underestimate me. Actually, I am determined, brave, and I don't lose my temper as easily as other people. I'm also very clever and adaptable to any situation someone throws my way.

Annabelle subtly kicks me in the legs, jolting me out of my fantasy. She mouths, "I'm next" in my direction. I look around. Sure enough, Cassian is up on stage cleverly and subtly insulting Caesar. Caesar and the crowd have no idea what is happening, but the rest of the Career Alliance is holding back their laughter. He walks back to his seat with waves of cheering and applause behind him, and Annabelle walks out with a petrified expression on her face.

I feel bad for her. The white dress washes out her sapphire eyes and makes her look small and weak. Caesar asks her about home, and her eyes get far away and misty. She tells the Capital about her best friend, Ryan, her older brother, Jacob, and her parents.

Then, Caesar says something I didn't expect to hear. "Now, your name is Annabelle _Greene_. Is there any possible relationship to a certain Mary _Greene_ we saw a couple of years ago?"

Annabelle tears up. "Yes. She was my sister, but her ally, the girl from District Eleven, betrayed her and stabbed her in her sleep."

I look over at Jasmine Meadows, oblivious to what Annabelle just said. The rest of the tributes shuffle uncomfortably around in their seats. I wonder why Annabelle has decided to ally with the District Eleven girl, if her sister was killed by a different District Eleven girl.

Caesar then asks her about her allies. "Well, right now, I've been hanging out will Juliet O'Hare, you know, the one who got the nine in training! I've also been thinking about allying with Cooper Bale, Oscar Ferine, and Jasmine Meadows."

Caesar latches onto the opportunity. "Now, why are you allied with the District Eleven girl?"

Annabelle smiles, obviously prepared for this question. "Well, I see no reason that Jasmine has to suffer for what someone did a long time ago. She was not related to Mary's death, and I really like her as a person."

The rest of her interview flies by smoothly, and she walks back to her seat gracefully. _Oh, great. I'm up._ I stand up and try to dry my hands on my flashing pants.

I sit in the chair center stage, and wished I could just be swallowed up by it. Caesar smiles warmly at me, and pats my knee. "So, Oscar, I like your outfit. You really light up the room!" He turns to the audience, and they respond with laughter _way_ too hearty for a joke of that caliber.

I give a friendly chuckle and thank him. He points to my headband. "I assume that this is your token. Does it have any special meaning?"

I nod. "My best friend Maria gave it to me when I was four. We both lost our parents in the same… accident… and we just sort of banded together."

My parents actually were killed when they tried to escape the district when I was four. My older brother, Chris, has taken care of me ever since. He is pretty uptight about the rules of the district after what happened, and he gets angry when I get in trouble, but I know he loves me.

Caesar points to my neck. "That's a large birthmark. Have you had it since you were born?"

My _god_ this guy is an idiot. Sadly, with the entire Capital staring at me, I can only mumble yes.

Caesar is starting to get desperate. I'm clearly not helping him out here, but I really don't want to make an impression on anybody. I'll survive this Game by flying under the radar and surprising everybody. "So, do you have a job or any hobbies back in District Five?"

This I can answer. "I do some odds and ends jobs like gardening for neighbors to bring in some extra cash. I also like reading, tinkering with some electronics, and inventing some random gizmos. Chris has a fairly easy going job as the Head of Electrical Department, so we have enough money to pay for some small electronics.

"So, how did you feel when you were reaped?"

"I wasn't too emotional. I mean, I wish I could have stayed home, but I have a good feeling about this."

He nods. "You're a fourteen year old boy, I'm sure some of your friends have a cool nickname for you."

"My brother and some people at school starting calling me Non. My ally, Raff, calls me Non as well.

The rest of the interview passes much of the same way, with me avoiding answering all of his questions and trying, aimlessly, to sink into the interview chair. When the buzzer finally sounds, I gratefully walk back to my seat and give a small smile to Juliet as she walks up to the chair. She returns it confidentially and strides up to the chair and immediately shakes Caesar's hand.

I have no doubt that Juliet will do very well in her interview, and I secretly hate her for that.

**Maximus Faccolto Jr.**

I am a cow. No, not because I had that third slice of cake last night. I am a literal cow. Ecuttel Runce, my stylist, is clearly on the way out of her job. She dressed me in a suit made out of bacon and ham with a beef jerky hat for the chariot rides, and I thought that was the worst it could get. It wasn't.

I am in another suit, except this one is black, with white splotches. A tiny black and white hat is placed on my head, with black and white ears poking out from it. My shoes make a clip-clop noise when I walk, and, worst of all, I have a tiny tail attached to my pants.

I'm upset, but, with Ecuttel as my stylist, I'm just glad she didn't give me udders! Ecuttel reminds me of Alina, that crazy tribute from District Eight, except Ecuttel is less violent. The entire time she has been working on me, all she does is talk about her parents. Apparently, they are "absolutely crazy" for not embracing the Capital's styles. Honestly, if cow suits are the Capital's styles, I'm glad I don't live here.

My prep team wasn't much better than her. Annabelle had super tan skin, bleached hair, and grey eyes. She seemed dumb, because she only talked about owls, the color pink, fingernails, and her boyfriend, Perce.

Peter was tattooed completely blue, and walked around with a fishnet shirt and baggy pants. He has a clingy girlfriend, but he has a crush on Ecuttel.

John was the weirdest of them all. He had green skin, red eyes, and walked around in a tin-can suit. All he ever talked about was how much he hated Oreos.

This morning, when they were prepping me for the interviews, my prep team was clearly disappointed with my training score: five. I was too, but at least I know why it happened. I used to live in a poor family with two parents, and three other siblings. When I was eight, my mom died of an epidemic. Zack and Hailey, the twins, died of the same disease four years apart. Last year, when I was twelve, my last sibling, Sofi, and my dad started showing early symptoms of the epidemic.

Now, whenever I see something like blood that reminds me of the disease, I have a pretty severe breakdown. The only thing that can get me to stop breaking down is a tiny plush unicorn my friend Varissis got for my second birthday. I named him Bob, and I chose it as my token.

During private training, while I was throwing axes, I accidentally cut my thumb. A few drops of blood trickled out, and I went into one of my breakdowns. Peacekeepers had to drag me out until I got my hands on Bob.

While my chariot, training score, and interview will probably not do well, but I still have a spark of hope. When I was reaped, I was of course panicked like any tribute would be, but I know the rest of my family has the symptoms. If I can win this, I will be able to find medicine to help them.

I have friends, but they don't understand what I'm going through. Bruno Lu and Hazel Lu are twins, and also outcasts like me. On Saturdays, I used to go over to their house with Sofi and Dad to watch shows on their television. We all look alike, with dark brown hair and a foxlike face. We have medium skin tone, slightly muscular in our right arms from holding axes, and we look younger than we really are.

One of the only defining things about me is the length of my arms. My left arm is shorter than my right by an inch or two, and nobody knows why.

I decide to focus on the other tributes, and try and gauge what they are like from their interview style. Oscar, the District Five boy, is small and weak, but the girl who follows, Juliet, is strong and confident. I look over at Sami, my District Partner. She is allied with Juliet, and I'm starting to get jealous of her.

Sami, on the other hand, manages to pull off the cow dress. The floor length, cow patterned dress compliments her petite frame and her waist length brown hair. Sadly, she doesn't have any muscle and, when she walks up to the chair a few minutes later, her lack of muscle is evident.

Her interview angle is charming and sweet, perfect for her tiny frame. When she is done, she returns to her seat, followed by a smattering of applause. I walk out, preparing myself to be peppy and cheerful.

"Hey Caesar! I'm excited to be here tonight!"

Caesar smiles, happy to get a peppy tribute. "I'm glad to see you too, Maximus; or, do you go by Max?"

I smile and nod. "Yes, I do."

Caesar points out at the audience. "What's your favorite thing about the Capital so far?"

I point at the sky. "The weather. Back in District Ten the weather is mostly cloudy. It's nice to see some sun for once."

Caesar laughs. "Do you have any family back home to share in that weather with you?"

Family. Family. Family. They're dead. All dead. Dead. Dead.

**Jasmine Meadows POV**

I would give anything to be able to hear right now. The District Ten boy, Max, has completely dissolved on stage. He is writhing on the ground with his hands over his ears, shouting something. Three Peacekeepers restrain his arms and drag him off stage.

And then it's my turn. I tiptoe over to Caesar and sit down in the chair provided. I don't really know how this is going to work. Caesar mouths something at me, and I just stare blankly back at him. Then something unexpected at me. Caesar starts moving his hands in rapid sign language, asking me, "How do you feel about your training score of a seven."

I sign back, telling him that it was nice. I camouflaged myself, and threw daggers.

Caesar tells the audience what I said, and their mouths move in silent cheers. The rest of the interview passes like this, with Caesar telling the audience what he is asking, him signing the question to me, me signing it back, and Caesar telling the audience what I said.

When I return to my seat, the audience gives me some silent applause, and a few silent cheers. I hope I have a chance in these Games. I'm allied with several people, and I'm planning on sticking with them until the end.

I'm Jasmine Meadows: Deaf, weak, reliant. And I'm going to win these games.

**A/N: So, I was going to do the whole thing with Oscar and Max, but I had a quick writer's block when I had to write his breakdown, so I wrote it from Jasmine's POV. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. When Tereki (formally Cricket the Clarinetist), the creator of Max, unknowingly gave me a contest idea when she submitted Max's tribute profile.**

**The prep team from Max's POV was based off of three different characters from three different fiction works. Please PM me your guesses so that nobody can look at the reviews. This is hard, so each one you get is worth one point. If you get all three of them it is worth three points!**

**Anyway, don't forget to review and follow my Standing Alone Instagram account, TrackerJackson!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	15. Broken

**Happy Fourth of July (To the Americans)! As an extra especial treat, this chapter is super long. It id over 5,000 words! **

**I am so thankful to have you guys as readers. We are so close to hitting 100 reviews! Right now, there are 91 for this fic. On that note, the points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 9**

**LoopyLou1990- 8**

**Wish on the Star- 7**

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**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 7**

**Tereki- 6**

**MaximumAngel1-4**

**district4person- 3**

**MusicForLife28- 2**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah-1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 1**

**Remember: you can send sponsor gifts to anybody, not just your tribute. If your tribute dies, you are still allowed to use your points to send gifts.**

**The contest last chapter was hard. The only person who got one of them was MazimumAngel1. Annabelle was Annabelle Green from the Percy Jackson Series. If you want to know what the others were, just PM Tereki.**

**I hope you all enjoy the super long chapter!**

_**Cassian Vespers POV**_

I stayed up all night researching the tributes. I now know every tribute and whether they are going to be in an alliance or if they are going to be a loner. To help me remember each of the alliances, I've given them each a nickname.

There are, of course, the Careers. This is my alliance and it consists of Peach Gemstone, Avery Reid, Hallie Reese, Gladius Marks, me, and my District Partner, Nawfar Marella.

I have nicknamed the alliance with Dayta Wyre, Zane Telle, and Terrance Mablesteen the Bloodbath Alliance because I think every single one of them will die in the bloodbath. There is the Power of Twelve Alliance which consists of District Twelve's Annie-Brook Fyrn and Kolton Wyo.

There is the Underdog Alliance with Oscar Ferine, Cooper Bale, Jasmine Meadows, Annabelle Greene, and their leader, Juliet O'Hare. The last alliance I'm aware of I call the Bromance Alliance. They aren't really dating, but Maximus Faccolto Jr. and Raff Cronin have become best friends so quickly, they almost seem like they are.

The loners, as of now, are probably going to be Jay Garden, Alina Chapelier, Freddy Winston, Stephanie Turow, Malone Bibidwi, and Sami Mast.

All I know is that with the Careers around me, I can beat anybody anytime in that Arena. My only weaknesses it that I rarely think my situations through, especially because I'm very hotheaded. I'm also terrible at orienteering. I always walk the wrong direction and I get lost everywhere I go. I look for shortcuts, even when I can see my target in plain sight.

I am, however, very intelligent, wise, and I'm good at hiding. And, of course being from District Four, I am good with spears, tridents, and nets. I know that without the Careers I won't make it very far. I'll never start the Career Breakup, but, when it happens, I know I'll try to kill everybody else.

I guess I'm thinking about my strategy so much because I'm on the hovercraft on the way to the Arena. I wouldn't say I'm _nervous_, but I definitely have a fluttering in my stomach. I look at Nawfar, trying to study her emotions.

I know she volunteered, which automatically gives her an advantage with the sponsors over me, _and_ she scored higher in her private training. However, I still feel like I am better with weapons than she is. I'm sure that once we get into the arena, I'll show the sponsors who _really_ deserves their money. After all, most of my life has resolved around training.

My dad was the one who pushed me into training. Mom was the one that wanted me to be a rebel leader. My future was the reason they started to fight, and eventually got divorced. That was when Dad lost all hope in me being a Career.

I began going on rebel missions with Mom, and I got stronger every day. When I was thirteen she let me go on a crucial mission to steal papers from the Training Academy where Dad worked. He happened to be the person on guard, and he caught me.

Pressured by others on the mission, I stabbed him in the stomach with a knife. As he bled out I quietly whispered in his ear that I still loved him. Ever since then I haven't condoned killing without reason.

If I wasn't reaped, I would have been the next rebel leader after Kai and Azula, two of my friends. Kai usually appears tough and mean, but he is really a nice person. He gets jealous sometimes, and he got into the rebel's game when he was fourteen, a year after his parents died in a riot.

Azula is cold, harsh, and very judgmental, but she is protective and caring about her family. Before she was a rebel, Azula lived in the slums of District Four and often stole from people to get by. We first met when she tried to steal a spear from me five years ago, when I was twelve. She was the one who started calling me Cass, and then the nickname stuck. I was the one who convinced her to use her amazing thieving skills for the rebel army.

My other friend is Kyla "Violin" Brooks. She is mysterious and doesn't open up much unless she thinks she can trust you. I am her best friend, and she tends to cling to me. She joined the rebel group when her dad was reaped in the Hunger Games when we were five. I took her under my wing and decided to protect her.

We both belong to the few poor families in District Four, so we work at the same job. We're both rebels, but we work at a fish cannery. When we aren't working, we are swimming, training, and rebelling together.

We all look alike, without muscular and tan bodies, dark blond, curly hair, and turquoise eyes. We are all 5'9'' and around 130lbs. Unlike them, I have rather childish dimples and I tend to make a very childish face when I smile.

I look like my Dad. He is constantly worried about me, even though he only cared about my training. He forced me to train until I reached my breaking point, and then worked me a little more. Although, I still loved him, and I have nightmares of the day I killed him.

My Mom looks nothing like me, with her fair skin, long, light, wavy hair and her hazel eyes. She is extremely stern, but she is kinder and sweeter to me. She is the single biggest reason I was going to be the rebel leader, because of her powerful connections.

I stare out of the hovercraft window, thinking of home and what I left behind, and not of the death and carnage that awaits me in about an hour.

_**Zane Telle POV**_

Holy crap. A Capital Attendant decided it would be okay to hold a_ massive _needle up to my arm.

"Please hold out your arm."

She repeats her command again.

"What is this needle for?"

She gives me a small pity smile.

"This is your tracker. It will allow the Gamemakers to track your movement as you move through the Arena."

I reluctantly hold out my arm, and the lady pressed the needle into my arm.

White. Hot. Fiery. Pain.

I take a deep breath and press my finger into my arm, desperately trying to keep the pain away. I look over at Dayta as she gets her shot. Her face scrunches in pain, and then she sees me looking at her.

"You know, I'm not even worried about death that much. I'm just worried about the pain."

I look nervously at the ground, not quite wanting to talk about my eminent death. "Yeah, I guess," I mutter, and then leave the conversation alone.

Dayta takes the hint, and leaves the subject alone. "We should go over our plan one more time before we get dropped into the Arena."

I laugh. "I _know_ it so well! We run as soon as the gong sounds, meet at whatever safe point is available closest to the tail of the Cornucopia. We wait until you, I, and Terrance are all there, and then we escape into the underbrush."

Dayta nods. "Good. As long as we get hidden early, we will be able to withstand the Games for a while."

We sit in silence until we feel the small bump, letting us know we have touched down in the Ready Rooms. Dayta's stylist, Roseanna, appears in the door, and beackons for Dayta to come with her. Suddenly, tears begin to roll down Dayta's face. "Zane, I'm scared!"

I don't know what to do, and, before I know it, I'm crying as well. "I know Dayta. I'm scared too. We'll make it through this together. Dayta, I love you."

I freeze. Did I really just say that? I do love her. I fell in love with her the night after the chariot rides, when we stayed up all night talking about home.

Dayta looks at me, her eyes shining from tears. "I love you too Zane."

We share a look before Roseanna drags her from the hovercraft. My goal is no longer to survive the Games. My goal is to let Dayta survive.

Octavia bursts in through the hovercraft door, oblivious to what just happened. "Wipe your tears Zane! It's time for you to see your outfit!"

I sniff, and follow Octavia out the door. Even though I'm about to see the outfit I will die in, I am glad that Octavia isn't designing it. I have a feeling that mutations would be attracted to a jumpsuit made out of flashing lights and mutt biscuits.

We walk into a sterile, white room. A table in the center of the room is laden with bottles of water and bowls of food. A tube stands off to the corner, marking the place I will be positioned in the bloodbath.

I walk over to the table and begin guzzling water and scarfing food. It all tastes like metal to me, but I know I will need the power later in the arena. While I am eating, Octavia produced my arena clothes.

I slip on a pair of stretchy, comfortable black pants, a forest green, short sleeve shirt, a beige jacket with a forest green hood, and white tennis shoes with rubber soles. Octavia pretends to know what she is doing, rubbing the jacket material between her fingers.

"Ah, yes, I see. The material here clearly explains. Yes, of course."

She looks at me, expecting me to thank her for her expert opinion on what to expect. "Oh, thank you Octavia," I snap, worrying about the bloodbath. "It would have been so annoying if you weren't clear."

Octavia glares at me, hurt, and goes to sit by the table. I grab another water bottle and begin drinking it as a voice proclaims, "Thirty seconds until launch."

Without Octavia needing to tell me what to do, I go stand in the tube, discarding my empty water bottle on the floor.

"Ten seconds until launch." The tube's walls drop, enclosing me in the glass. I press my hand against the tube, and Octavia walks over. She gives me a sympathetic smile, and the tube starts to move. I brace myself, standing tall and strong for whatever waits me at the top of the tube.

_**Peach Gemstone POV**_

If Roset could see me now, she would be _so_ mad! I am so glad I stole her volunteer spot. I'm encased in a glass tube, slowly rising up into my destiny. I run my hands over my hair as I wait. This morning, before I boarded the hovercraft, I twisted it into a complicated braid on top of my head. My hands wander down to my neck, where they brush my token, and my diamond necklace.

The only person I miss is Amyth. I don't even miss Mother, and our dysfunctional relationship. I know that now, when I am the most vulnerable, Amyth would be able to make me feel better. I am just rubbing the freckle above my lip when I see a speck of sunlight glimmering at the top of the tube.

I make sure my jacket is zipped up, pick a speck of dust off my pants, and check my shoelaces before my head clears the ground.

I am standing on hard packed dust. About a hundred meters away, I can see the Cornucopia glimmering through the dust. I peer around, trying to see what the arena looks like. A ways behind me there is a bridge, leading to a green meadow. Tall and colorful flowers wave in the gentle breeze and a lazy stream runs through the island.

I can barely see another bridge, in front of me to the left. It appears to lead to a forest. The leaves are all bright, fiery colors, and I can see them tumbling in the wind.

I'm sure there is another bridge behind the Cornucopia, but the last one I can see is in front of me to the right. There are two mountains covered in snow and ice. Even though I can't see them, I'm sure there are several caves nestled on the mountain side.

Next, I look around me. To the right of me is Alina Chapelier, the crazy chick from District Eight. On the left is Juliet O'Hare, the sickle throwing girl from District Six. I know I don't have to worry about Alina. She only got a two in training, and she is currently muttering about wugglemares.

Juliet is small. As long as I can get to her before she gets her hands on a sickle, it would be easy to snap her neck, or run her through on my rapier. I can see it glimmering in the Cornucopia, begging me to wrap my hands around its polished hilt.

I few yards in front of me are two tiny daggers. I formulate a plan in my head. When the gong sounds in ten seconds, I will leap forward and grab the daggers. I will then run for the rapier, slashing at anybody who tries to get in my way.

Nine, Eight, Seven. The clock counts down and I get ready to sprint for the daggers. Six, Five, Four. A bead of sweat forms above my brow and I flick it away. Three, Two One. The gong sounds and I immediately take off, snatching the daggers as I surge ahead of the crowd.

Sami Mast, surprising fast for her size and physical appearance, snatches a pack about a foot away from where I am. I know I should leave her alone, seeing as she isn't coming after me, but the sponsors will love to give money to the girl who made the first kill of the Games.

I twist the dagger around in my fingers and flick it towards her retreating back. _Bull's-eye_. She falls and twitches for a second before she lays still, a stream of blood emerging from where my dagger protrudes from her back.

I give a small smirk for the camera, and continue my dash for the Cornucopia. Unfortunately, my detour has caused other people to catch up. I guess I didn't quite think my plan through. I desperately lunge for my rapier, and grab the hilt just as the first person approaches the Cornucopia. I whirl around, ready to stab them, but see it is just Hallie.

"Cover me!" I yell, and we stand back to back, waiting for the tide of tributes to descend upon us.

Annie-Brook and Kolton, from District Twelve, approach Hallie, and she stabs at them with her spear. She nicks Annie-Brook, but she manages to twirl her spear around and stab Kolton through the throat. He gasps, and falls to the ground, blood spewing on the ground.

Annie-Brook, screaming, falls to the ground, trying to staunch the blood bubbling from Kolton's neck. Hallie raises her spear, prepared to stab her, when a net falls on her and she is pulled backwards onto a sword. Hallie looks up into the eyes of Avery. He gives a cocky smirk, and runs to the other side of the Cornucopia, looking for other tributes.

Hallie and I re-position ourselves, getting ready for more of the tributes.

_**Dayta Wyre POV**_

He loves me! Zane loves me! Nothing could bring down my mood, even watching Avery Reid stab Annie-Brook from District Twelve.

I run around the Cornucopia, and I see Zane and Terrance waiting for me. Behind them is a bridge. It leads to a sandy beach with a jungle behind it. An ocean laps at the sand, but it smells like salt. I am only a couple of yards away from Zane and Terrance when I see Alina, the insane girl, running towards them. She has a bow and arrow in her hand, and an arrow is loaded. She points it at Terrence, screaming, "Get the wugglemares off of you! You're covered in wugglemares!"

The arrow flies in slow motion, and implants itself in Terrance's head. Zane shouts and I scream. Almost in slow motions, Terrance falls to his knees. Alina screams at the sight of blood and she runs into the mountain section of the arena.

Zane runs towards me, tears starting to form in his eyes. "We have to get out of here. Dayta! Can you hear me?"

I do hear him, but I'm too busy looking at Gladdie, the District Two boy, charging towards Zane with a shining axe in his hand. Finally, I find my voice. "Zane! Behind you! Look out!"

Zane turns, but the battle is already over. He is defenseless against Gladdie's axe, and it comes crashing down, cleaving Zane in two.

"Zane!" I howl, my world splitting apart. "Zane, no!" Gladdie has already disappeared into the bloodbath again, and I run to Zane, even though I know it's too late. His eyes stare blankly at the sky, and his hand inches away from Terrance's. They are both my fallen allies.

I pivot, desperate to escape the carnage. I see a fifth bridge, one I wasn't aware of. It is made of shining silver, and it leads to a bright light. Somehow, I know it can't hurt me. I slowly walk towards it. With each step, the faces of Terrance, Zane, Annie-Brooke, Kolton, and Sami grow clearer.

I reach it right as my body falls on top of Zane's, Nawfar Marella's knife lodged in the back of my head.

_**Maximus Faccolto Jr. POV**_

I clutch Bob in my hand, fighting a break down at the sight of the blood pooling around Zane, Dayta, and Terrance's bodies. Nawfar runs to Dayta, retrieves her knife, and sprints back into the dwindling number of tributes.

I'm still standing on my plate, with nothing of use in my hands except Bob. I twist his horn between my fingers, and take a tentative step forward.

I need to do this for my family. I need to get the medicine. I reach down and pick up a blue backpack, sling it on my back, and run for the beach. I reach the wooden bridge, and make the mistake of looking back.

I make eye contact with Cassian Vespers, who, bored with the fact that there are no more tributes, starts sprinting towards me. My steps are unstable on the sandy ground, and Cassian gains on me with every pump of his muscular legs.

Finally, I reach the edge of the beach, and climb a palm tree. I cling to it for my life—literally—and wait for Cassian to get bored and leave. No such luck.

He stays at the base for the tree so long, that I actually have time to formulate a plan. I reach up above me and grab a coconut. I toss it once in my hand, and hurl it down towards him. With barely a flick of his sword, he impales the projectile and wipes the juice off with a leaf. "Thanks for dinner," he calls up, taunting me.

I stay in the tree until the scratchy wood cuts my hands too deep, and I plummet to the ground like the coconut. Cassian's face—and his smirk—grows bigger as I near the ground. With another lazy flick of his sword he impales me through the stomach.

I gag, and cough blood into his face. His smirk becomes a scowl. "Now why would you go and do something like that?"

He slides me off his swords, each millimeter feeling like liquid fire burning through my insides. Dark corners intrude my vision, and I see three different Cassians leaning over me and smirking. "Nighty Night!"

I see my mother and the twins. They step out from the trees, and beckon me to stand. I do, and discover the pain is gone. They lead me through the trees until we emerge on the beach. This time, my feet seem weightless and I glide over the sand.

I barely feel the icy touch of the water as my Mother hugs me and the twins take my hand. We descend into the ocean until the water is on top of my head. Finally, for the first time in my life, I am able to breathe.

_**Juliet O'Hare POV**_

That afternoon, after the initial fight, I am testing the strength of the branches of a sturdy looking oak tree. We were lucky—every one of us made it out alive. Cooper was the one who figured out the arena. Each of the islands is a season: spring, fall, winter, and summer. We are camping in the fall island. The weather is temperate, and there are a lot of trees.

Oscar had a nasty cut on his stomach from Raff Cronin's scythe, but Jasmine, who turned out to be a very good healer, was able to stich him up with thread from one of our packs.

We are very well off after the Bloodbath. Oscar, as soon as the gong rang, sprinted into the midst of the tributes. He came out with four packs, a spear, some rope, and his cut. Jasmine was the one who was supposed to find a good spot to camp. She was the one who directed all of us over to the fall island.

Annabelle and I also went into the Bloodbath. She got one pack, and a bow. She has apologized over and over, but she dropped the arrows when she was knocked into by Malone Bibidwi who escaped into the spring island.

I was able to get three sickles. They aren't a common weapon, so I'm sure they were only placed there because of me. During private training I hurled them around the room with such accuracy that the Gamemakers clapped. The sickles are tied to my pants with the rope.

Cooper was in charge of scouting. As we were walking a safe distance away from the Cornucopia, he told us where he saw everybody go.

Apparently, the Careers are camping at the Cornucopia, but Cassian ran off into the summer island. We all assumed he was part of the Careers, so we wondered why he split so early. Maximus Faccolto Jr. also escaped into the summer island, and Raff Cronin ran there a few minutes later.

Jay Garden and Alina Chapelier were the only tributes crazy enough to try and face the winter island's wind and ice. Freddy Winston, Stephanie Turow, and Malone Bibidwi all went into the spring section separately.

Cooper and Annabelle return from their scouting mission through the forest. They are carrying a lot of long sticks. They run up to the tree. "Juliet!" Cooper whisper-yells. "Annabelle had a great idea!" Annabelle blushes. "You helped come up with it!"

Annabelle turns to me. "The tree you're sitting in has four branches, all at ninety degree angles. We learned about this in District Nine. If you place the branches like this…" She scurries up the tree and begins laying the branches down in a complicated pattern. She occasionally pauses to snap one in half, but she works diligently for a few minutes.

Finally, she scurries back down the tree. "There. I've positioned the branches in a way that each on is being supported by at least two other branches."

I look up and see what she has done. By connecting the tree's branches with her sticks, she has basically made a balcony where we can sleep, stand, and keep watch. "Ohmygosh Annabelle, that's brilliant!"

She blushes again, and climbs up the tree. "Bring the packs. We can sort them up here." Oscar, Jasmine, Cooper and I climb the tree with the packs. Everyone looks at me for instructions. Ever since I got a ten in private training, I have been declared the unofficial leader of the alliance. I can't say I don't enjoy it.

"Okay everybody. There are five packs, enough for each of us to have one."

I hand everybody the blue and green packs, after dumping each of their contents on the makeshift floor. Then, I divide everything into four piles: Food/Water, Survival, Weapons, Other. Once I'm done, we look at all of our supplies.

In the food pile we have four pieces of jerky, ten packets of dried fruit, five, one liter, empty water bottles, and six packets off mixed roots and berries.

Obviously, everybody gets a water bottle. I give jerky to myself, Oscar, Cooper, and Annabelle, two packets of dried fruit to everyone, a packet of mixed roots and berries to everyone, and an extra one to Jasmine.

In the weapons pile we have my three sickles, Annabelle's bow, Oscar's spear, and two knives we found in the pack. I smile. "Well, the division of this is easy. Annabelle, don't worry about the bow. We can always make arrows from some of the sticks."

Annabelle smiles, and takes her bow. I get all three of the sickles, because nobody else knows how to use them. Jasmine and Cooper seem happy with their knives, and Oscar is pleased with his spear.

In the survival pile we have three sleeping bags, pots of green, red, orange, and blue paint, the rope, and a bottle of iodine tablets. "I think we can divide up these sleeping bags. Obviously, we need to establish guard shifts. I think that whoever is keeping watch gets a sleeping bag. Then, the other two we can fit two in each one."

Everybody nods, and I set the sleeping bags closet to the trunk of the tree. I hand the paint to Jasmine, and grab a berry from the tree. I turn to Annabelle. "Is this berry safe to eat?"

"No. That's Shadows-Hound. It's not poisonous, but causes severe cramps and nausea."

I thank her, and smear it on the tree, writing in its dark juice _you keep paint. You good at painting._

I know the sentence sound so patronizing, but I don't want to waste space on the trunk. Who know how long we will have to communicate like this? Luckily, Jasmine understands and takes the paint.

"I think we should leave the rope up here. I don't think any of us really knows how to make snares, and it might just alert passing tributes to our location. Does anybody else have any ideas?"

Cooper speaks up. "I have one!" He climbs down the tree, and returns minutes later with four sticks. He wedges them in between the sticks Annabelle lied down. Then, he strings the rope around them, tying it off once it reaches the other side. "There. Now we have a small fence in case we roll around in our sleep. It won't withstand much force, but at least now we won't just fall off."

"Good idea, Cooper." I divide up the iodine tablets evenly, leaving everybody with three. "You all know how to use these, right? Just leave them in your water bottle for thirty minutes after you find water. Then it will be safe to drink." Everybody nods, and I turn to the last pile.

In it is a pair of night vision glasses, a medical kit, and some pain pills.

"Clearly the person on guard should have the goggles. Annabelle, unless anybody else disagrees, I'm going to give you the medical stuff. You're our best healer." Annabel swells with pride, and takes the supplies.

Thing are going great for us. We have plenty of supplies, a safe place to sleep, and enough food to keep us going for several days. Now all we need is water.

_**Raff Cronin POV**_

_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_ Seven cannon shots tear through the sky, and I can't help but worry for Max. I saw him disappear into the summer island so I followed him. I had to duck behind some trees when I saw Cassian Vespers running back to the Career camp, a blue backpack on his back, and blood on his face.

I saw no cuts on him, but I don't want to think about what could have happened to Max. He was the only one not afraid to talk to me during training because of my size. We quickly became best friends. I don't know how I will survive the Games if he is really gone. I look up at the darkening sky. In only a few minutes I will see the tributes that died today.

I crouch lower in the bush I'm hiding behind. The bridge leading to the Career camp is a few feet in front of me, and I don't dare get any closer. I hear Peach, Avery Hallie, Gladius, Nawfar, and Cassian laughing and talking about the number of tributes they killed today. From what I understand, they each "got" one.

I keep my eyes glued on Cassian, but he doesn't reveal who he killed. If he killed Max, I will make it a personal goal to kill him. I don't care if I get killed in the process, but he will die for what he did. I wipe a tear that is trickling down my face, and take stock of my supplies.

I managed to grab a pack from the Bloodbath. In it is a knife, a small loaf of bread, a half-liter water bottle, and a small medical kit. I stare at the water bottle. It's small, but it's _filled!_ I smile, knowing that I will be one of the few tributes who actually have water.

Still, I glance enviously over at the mountains of supplies the Careers haven't even bothered to count yet. The Capital's anthem plays all over the arena, and I whip my head up, begging to see seven faces before they reach District Ten.

The first face to appear is District Three's Dayta Wyre, and then her District Partner, Zane Telle. I am sad at their death, but I never really knew them. I wonder how their ally, Terrance Mablesteen, is holding up. From what I saw, they all became very close over the week.

The next face is District Ten's Sami Mast. I am surprised. Normally tributes from Districts Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine have at least one casualty. Of course all the Careers survived. I clench my fists and start to cry as the next face in the sky is Max's. He smiles down at me for a few seconds before disappearing forever. So that's it then. He really is gone. And Cassian Vespers must die.

Terrance Mablesteen of District Eleven appears in the sky next. I shake my head in pity, tears still rolling down my face. Alliences broken, Alliences killed. It's just not fair, what the Capital does to us every day.

Both of the District Twelve tributes flash across the sky next. Then the sky is black and I am left with tears on my face and murder in my mind.

_You better watch out Cassian. Because I'm coming for you._

**I hope you guys like the extra-long chapter! I want to apologize to StarcrossedLoverOfDistrict2 for killing Max. He was a truly great tribute, and I hope you still read the fic.**

**Now is the time that you are allowed to start sending sponsor gifts. I tried to include what supplies each tribute had, but I was not able to get to them all. If you want to know what supplies your tribute has, just PM me and I'll tell you.**

**This week's contest is a Complete the Sentence**

_**You are home, pretending to be sick, when your parents leave. You…**_

**Anyway, don't forget to read and review! Let's get to one hundred!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	16. Water and Stiching and Blood- Oh My!

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- I realized I had a typo and I made a mistake. I told you I'm sorry I killed Max. I **_**meant**_** to say: sorry to Cricket the Clarinetist for killing Max, and sorry to you for killing **_**Terrance**_**. I'm so sorry about that.**

**We are so close to one hundred reviews! Four more review until we reach 100! **

**I have decided to award the Complete the Sentence to LoopyLou1990 for her funny answer! The current review points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 10**

**LoopyLou1990**

**Wish on the Star- 7**

**MoreThanLess- 7**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 7**

**Tereki- 7**

**MaximumAngel1- 6**

**district4person- 3**

**MusicForLife28- 2**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 1**

**Demented Kawaii Queen- 1**

**Now the Author's Note will be rather long at the end of the chapter, so I will announce the contest for this chapter in this A/N. **

**It's rather simple, and just an incentive to review. Everyone that reviews the chapter that pushes the reviews over 100 reviews gets two points.**

**I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 17**

**First and Second Day**

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

I've finally escaped. I've escaped the Bloodbath, I've escaped my crappy life back in District Nine, and I'm sure as hell going to escape these Games. I check the backpack I was able to snatch from the Cornucopia for supplies, and am pleased with what I find.

I pull out a spool of thread, a waterproof jacket, a loaf of bread, and a roll of gauze. There are no weapons, but that doesn't matter. Even though I'm not good with weapons, I am smart, cunning, know a lot about survival, and fast. With these supplies I can last a long time.

I unravel the spool of thread, feeling the thickness between my fingers. This is just like the thread I used to create invisible traps during my private training session. This is the thread that got me the eight.

I walk along the crystalline river, careful not to fall in. The river seems to be so obvious and open, most likely a trap for thirsty tributes. Well, that and the fact that I can't swim.

Trees start to pop up at faster intervals, and I know I've almost reached the forest edge. When I get to the tree line, I break a length of thread off with my teeth, and construct a simple snare. This snare wouldn't catch a tribute. I'm hoping for something a little tastier to wander into my trap.

My friend, Calliope, taught me how to tie snares last year, when I was sixteen. Calliope is in my class at school. I have no clue how we ended up being friends; she is sporty and rather popular and I am… not. If it wasn't for her trying so hard to keep our friendship, we probably never would have hung out together. Even though I'm not as chatty as Calliope, I am glad I had a friend liker her. Her knowledge just might catch me dinner tonight.

As I tie snare after snare I start thinking about the faces in the sky last night. It's really a shame about Sami Mast. She was so young, and she shouldn't have been forced to compete in these terrible Games. I'm just glad my District Partner, Malone Bibidwi, is okay.

I was thinking about allying with him for a while, but I decided against it. I know that if I start to care for him—even for a second—it will be so much harder to part ways when the competition wears down. For now I just have to worry about catching dinner, and finding a place to sleep.

I'm very independent and mature, seeing as I was forced to grow up pretty quickly at home. When I care foe someone I am very passionate about protecting them, but I try not to get attached to anybody. When I want to I can be funny, but if someone pushes me over the edge I can snap. I hate the Capital with burning passion, and I hate the Games as well. If I win these Games I will use all my money and power to get food to more people in the District.

I find a small pile of boulders by the stream, and sit there for a while, contemplating my next move. Finally, I get a clever idea. I find a thick branch, one that I am barely able to wrap my hand around, and start hollowing it out with a sharp rock.

Once I have gotten rid of the mushy pulp of dead tree, I line the inside of the wood with a tiny square I cut from the bottom of my jacket. Now, as soon as I find some drinkable water, I have a makeshift cup. I stare at the water, my mouth crying out for the crystal clear water flowing gently downstream, and get an idea to see if it is drinkable or not.

I reach above me, pluck a leaf from the tree, and toss it in the river. I walk with it as it floats downstream, until it empties in the ocean. The leaf didn't turn brown and die, so I dip my finger in the water. Nothing happens, so I put a drop on my tongue.

Instantly, the water sizzles and starts to burn my tongue. I cry out and wipe it away with my hand. My eyes well up, and I touch the burn on my tongue with my finger. The water has very nearly burned a hole through my tongue, leaving a nasty red welt. If a drop did this, I hate to see what an entire swallow would do.

Before infection can set in, I "rinse" it out the best I can with saliva, and reach for the gauze. I wrap it around my tongue, and try to close my mouth. It doesn't work. I take the gauze back out, and roll it back up. I have no way to treat this wound, and I know I will die if infection sets in.

Helpless against the burn, I wander back to the tree line to check on my snares. None of them have caught anything, so I wander around in the tall grass, looking for some edible plants.

Right as the grass is taller than my head, I hear the sounds of footsteps running towards me from far away. Immediately, I crouch down in the grass, shielding myself from the eyes of the tribute. With every second, the tribute gets closer, and I start to think I might have been better off running. The grass in front of me parts, and I find myself looking into the terrified eyes of Freddy Winston.

He barely gives me a glance, sprinting past me towards the forest. He shouts over his shoulder, "Are you crazy!? Run!"

I follow his advice, picking up my pack and sprinting for the tree line. With my speed, I soon overtake Freddy. When I reach the first tree, I use my momentum to swing up onto a branch. I grab branch after branch, climbing away from the unknown danger below until I am settled high in the foliage.

Freddy is not so lucky. He has just climbed the first branch when three mutts leap into view. I instantly recognize them as Avaques. An Avaque is a half snake-half bear mutation used during the dark days. They are small, furry, brown snakes with an extremely poisonous bite with their extremely sharp fangs. If they catch scent of a living creature, they will attack in a group until the object of attack is nothing but bones.

The Capital placed them in the fields surrounding Districts Nine, Ten, and Eleven, where the rebel's meetings were held. When they would convene in the fields, the Avaques would attack.

I am lucky they cannot climb, or I would be in a lot of trouble. Seconds before Freddy's foot clears the ground, an Avaque latches onto his ankle. He cries out, letting go of the tree in surprise. Even from the top of the tree, I can hear the thud of his body hitting the ground.

I try and shield my eyes, but I can hear the sound of tooth against bone, and the agonizing cries of pain from the dying Freddy.

Minutes later, after the Avaques have finished their meal, the canon finally sounds and they slither away. I want to stay huddled at the top of the tree, but I know I must strip Freddy of anything useful before the Capital comes and takes him away.

Without the adrenaline the climb back down takes a lot longer, but I am desperate to reach Freddy before the Capital does. Once I reach him, I find several useful things. The best is a half-liter water bottle filled to the brim with clear water. I am ecstatic for a second, before I place a drop on his tongue and it burns just like it did with me.

Then, after a quick search of his pant pockets, I find something even better: iodine tablets. I place one in the water bottle, and leave that while I go through the rest of his supplies. His jacket and shoes are worthless, seeing as they have been ripped to shreds by the Avaques, but he has a mostly intact backpack.

Inside I find a tiny dagger, a handful of blueberries, and needle and thread. I know what I have to do. I grab the needle and thread, and hold it up to my mouth, bracing myself. When I make the first incision it feels like I have poured a whole water bottle full of the water all over the inside of my mouth. It takes all my self-restraint not to cry out.

I finish stitching my tongue, and admire my handiwork in the reflective surface of the knife. I assume about thirty minutes has passed, so I take the water bottle and place another drop on his tongue. It does nothing, so I place a drop on mine, flinching as it comes in contact with the fresh stiches. Nothing happens.

Overjoyed, I take a huge gulp from the bottle, relishing the feeling of the cool water sliding down my throat. I walk back to my snares, taking a sip with every couple of steps. Sadly, I still have not caught any food, but I have a few blueberries to satisfy the growling in my stomach.

I find a nice tree to camp in for the night, take one last sip of water, and wait for the anthem to play. If only my tongue could stop hurting…

_**Alina Chapelier POV**_

I look at the sky, where my District Partner, Freddy, grins down on the arena. I turn to Lea, who killed him. "Why'd you do it?"

Lea grinned, her white hair camouflaging into the snow. "I did it for him. Don't you notice: there are no wugglemares on him."

I peer at Freddy's face flickering in the sky until it fades back into night. "You're right. Can you get rid of _all_ the wugglemares?"

She turns to my backpack and hands me a needle. "I can't. But _you_ can. All you have to do is hear the cannon."

I take the needle in wonder, running it over my flesh, marveling at the drops of blood coming to the surface. "What do you mean 'hear the cannon'?"

Lea doesn't answer, and I turn to where she was sitting moments before, just to find an empty pile of snow. Lea is gone.

I dig through my pack, pulling out some bread, various shades of green paint, and seven more fabulous needles. Their shiny metal skin glistens as snow softly falls on them, and I grin. I will get rid of those wugglemares. I will hear the cannon.

I pack my bag with my food and six of the needles, leaving one of them, and the one Lea gave me, attached to my jacket. Smearing my face with the green paint, I tread through the snow, listing for the tell-tale whine of a wugglemare.

When my stomach begins to growl I reach into my pack. I know that the Capital will give me more food when I finish this one, so I finish off the loaf, forcing myself to scarf down the very last bites.

I sit on a boulder and wait for the slot on the side of the arena to open and deposit more food into my lap. When it doesn't, I stand up and begin trekking through the snow until I hear a high-pitched whine.

Immediately I pick up two needles, track the whine until they come into view, their four wings beating against their furry, green bodies.

I stalk them, quieting my breathing and walking lightly. As the wugglemares see me they swoop and dive for my face, their sharp antennas pointed at my face.

I swipe and stab with my needles, but they don't even faze the wugglemares. Suddenly, I remember what Lea said. "All you have to do is hear the cannon."

I peer around for a tribute, and see two frightened eyes looking at me from behind a snowdrift, too petrified to move. I smirk, and walk around the bank, trapping her between the snow bank and me.

She whimpers as I approach, and I bare my teeth, frightening her a little more.

"Please, don't hurt me. I'll just leave!"

I don't answer, letting her shrink back deeper into the snow bank. Before she can react, I slash a needle at her arm, loosening a torrent of blood. She screams, her yells reverberating off the mountains.

I slash her other arm, leaving the needle implanted deep in her muscle. I clap my hand over her mouth, just in case her yells attract any nearby wugglemares. As I stab my third needle through her leg, she falls to the ground, staining the snow red.

I laugh as she cries, and stab her in her other leg. Finally, after I stab her in the stomach with my last two needles, I pull the needle out from her arm, and stab her in her heart. She gasps for breath, with blood bubbling out from her mouth.

Finally, her muscles relax, and she lies limp on the ground, with the dull echo of a cannon blasting in the background. Instantly, the wugglemares fly away and I turn to Lea, who is standing at my side.

"You were right. All I have to do is hear the cannon."

Lea smiles her mystical smile. "You need to hear more."

And I know I do. I need to hear all the cannons.

**So somebody asked me if I could list what each tribute needed, in case you guys wanted to use your sponsor points. First, here is a list of what everything costs.**

**SPONSOR GIFTS**

**3 pts-**

**10 ft. of rope**

**Flint**

**5x5 tarp**

**Small pack of dried fruit**

**Needle and thread**

**5 pts-**

**Small throwing knife**

**10 matches**

**1 liter water bottle (Empty)**

**Iodine tablets**

**Fishing hook**

**Small medicine kit (small roll of gauze, antibiotic cream, needle, thread)**

**10 pts-**

**Sword **

**1 liter water bottle (Full)**

**Bow**

**8 Arrows (10 points for bow AND 10 points for the arrows). If you tribute can make arrows then they only need the bow.**

**Large medical kit (Small water bottle, Pain pills, Sleep Medicine, Packet of dried fruit, Large roll of gauze, Small and dulled medical scissors, Antibiotic cream, needle, thread.)**

**Spear**

**20 pts-**

**Sleeping bag**

**Trident**

**Bow and 8 arrows**

**Fishing Pole**

**Night Vision Goggles**

**2 liter water bottle (Filled)**

**One clothing item of your choice (Heavy coat if it is a cold arena, or a tank fop if it is a warm one, or socks or whatever.)**

**Specialty Medicine**

**30 pts-**

**Body Armor**

**The Career Alliance needs night vision goggles and water.**

**The alliance with Juliet, Annabelle, Oscar, Cooper, and Jasmine needs more weapons (sickles, knives, spears) paint, antibiotic cream, paper and pencil, and water.**

**Raff needs a spear.**

**Alina needs Food.**

**Stephanie needs Antibiotic Cream.**

**Malone needs Food and Water.**


	17. Gifts Rain Down

**A/N: Hey guys. This will be sort of a filler chapter, mostly to form bonds between tributes and show where everybody is and how they are doing. Thank you so much for reviewing. We got almost 20 reviews, pushing the total number of reviews up to 116! Thank you all so much! Here are the points so far. If it seems low, that means I have already factored in the points you spent on sponsor gifts, and your tribute will receive the gift in this chapter.**

**Is A Polite Stranger- 14**

**seanthesheep356- 12**

**Tereki- 9**

**Wish on the Star- 7**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2-7**

**MoreThanLess- 4**

**district4person- 3**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 3**

**Nicole the Notorious- 2**

**Buttons301- 2**

**MusicForLife28- 2**

**LoopyLou1990- 2**

**MaximumAngel1- 2**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**Hope you enjoy!**

_**Hallie Reese POV**_

It's the middle of the night when Gladdie shakes us all up.

"Guys!" He whispers, gently shaking our sleeping bags. "There was a noise. I can't see what it was, but it hit the Cornucopia.

I immediately stand, grabbing my spear at the threat of an attacking tribute. Peach sneaks off towards the Cornucopia, ready to kill. Suddenly, she trips, falling noisily to the ground. Everyone in the alliance start silent screaming at her, including myself. This only makes us louder. "Peach! SHHHHHHHH!"

We start to giggle, the adrenaline making us daring. Peach is the one to shush us this time. She reaches down and picks up what she fell over, and brings it to the fire. It's a little silver pot attached to a parachute, the kind the sponsors send.

Avery snatches it out of Peach's hand and reads the label. "Wishing you the best, MaximumAngel1." He frowns. "That's an awfully weird name, even for someone from the Capital."

Nawfar giggles, wrapping her arm around Avery seductively to look at the tag. "Maybe it's meant as a joke. You know, she's our Guardian Angel."

We laugh again, half out of joy for the present, half out of relief that the noise wasn't a tribute. "Come one," I say, grabbing for the pot. "Let's open it!"

We cheer quietly, and I twist the top off. Inside is a small bottle of iodine tablets. Without a word, Cassian grabs all of our water bottles and sprints for the spring section. For a second we sit there stunned, entertaining the possibility of the Career Alliance Breakup this early in the Games. But, a second later, he returns with the bottle filled to the brim with possibly poisoned water.

I drop a tablet in each bottle and sit by the fire, waiting for the thirty minutes to pass.

"So," I say, trying to break the ice. "Which section do you want to hunt in tomorrow?"

Nawfar strokes the back of Avery's neck, prompting a smug grin from the man of the hour himself. I shudder inwardly. Their constant flirting is sickening, and makes me want to physically rip them apart. Avery turns to me, as if he knows what I was thinking. "I think we should hunt in the fall section. I saw that big alliance run there. They have a lot of supplies. Maybe they even have night vision goggles."

I know he's right. Now that we have a steady supply of food and water, all we are missing are the night vision goggles. Keeping watch would be less dangerous of a job.

"Okay. First thing tomorrow morning, Cassian, Peach, and I will go into the fall section to find this alliance."

Cassian mumbles something under his breath, as we all turn to look at him. This might be the first thing I've heard him say the entire duration of the Games, except when he told us he killed that Max boy. "Did you say something?" I ask, curious to see what's going on in his head."

He looks up, as if jolted out of a thought. "Sorry. It's just; I've given each alliance a nickname. They are the Underdog Alliance. You know, because they are the underdogs that have risen to the occasion and escaped the Bloodbath."

Avery scowls, furious at the thought of anybody being favored by the Capital more than he is. "I want to go as well."

I think for a second. Avery wants to kill them for revenge, which has upsides and downsides. His passion might make him a better killer, and help the cause, but it could also hinder us. He could risk the whole group with his desire to kill Juliet, who got the same score as him.

"Fine, you can come with us."

He sneers, formulating his attack plan in his head.

I look longingly over at the water, desperate for the cool liquid to parch my thirst. "I think it might have been thirty minutes. Everybody grab a bottle!"

We cheer softly again, and each grab for the water. Raising the glass to my mouth, I brace myself for the stream of ice cold heaven. "Ahhhhh…" We all simultaneously sigh as we get our first sips of water in days.

Nawfar looks at the sky and whispers, "Thank you so much MaximumAngel1. You really are our guardian angel."

_**Raff Cronin POV**_

I am woken up by a loud crash coming from the Career Camp. I bolt to my feet and peer through the darkness, trying to see what is going on. Is somebody attacking them? They better not kill Cassian. He is mine to kill.

While I am trying to understand what's going on, something hit me on my head and I shriek. Luckily, the Careers are making too much noise to hear me, so I pick up the silver pot from the ground. I am too close to the Career Camp to light a fire, but I can see a spear reflecting in the light of the moon.

This is perfect. I didn't have a weapon to kill Cassian with before, but now I do. The spear is my weapon of choice, and I have trained constantly with it ever since I got to the Capital.

I see a tag attached to the pot, and I squint, barely making out the words "I know you can do it—LoopyLou1990."

I snigger quietly at the name LoopyLou1990. I assume it's a practical joke. I don't think that the Capital even allows people to have names with numbers in it. Still, I am thrilled about the spear. I test it out, tossing it up in the air and catching it, getting the feel of the brushed metal shaft.

The tip of the head glistens in the moonlight, showing off the deathly sharp point. I look off in the distance, where I can barely make out Cassian's silhouette, dancing around the fire with a bottle of water in his hand.

I want to wipe the smug smile he surely has off his perfect, sickening face. Curling my hand tightly around the spear, I burrow deeper into the sand, and fall asleep.

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

I can't move my mouth. I can barely eat, barely drink, and certainly can't talk to myself. I hover my finger over the swollen, infected welt, and brace myself for what I know I have to do. The wound made by the stitches have become infected, and I have to take them out.

I muffle my screams as my fingernail scratches the wound. After eternities of searching, I locate the edge of the string and I pull. Spots swim before my eyes and I almost black out. The sting slides out and blood fills my mouth. Finally, I am holding the bloody string in my hand.

Fearful about passing out, I fall to the ground, and put my head between my knees. How unfair would it be if I survived the Bloodbath, got a backpack with water, food, and plenty of other supplies, and I ended up dying of an infected tongue.

"Please!" I whisper to the sky, pronouncing my words oddly so I don't use my tongue. "If anyone is watching me or sponsoring me—I need something for my tongue. Please."

Seconds later, a silver pot floats down from the sky attached to a white parachute. Desperate, I snatch it out from the sky and pop off the lid. Inside is a pristine, white, medical kit. Inside a roll of gauze, a fresh needle and thread, and, best of all, a tube of antibiotic cream.

I squeeze a dollop of the paste on my finger, and brush it over my tongue, wincing at the slicing and sudden pain that erupts. However, as soon as the paste touches the wound, all the pain evaporates. I sigh in bliss and carefully put the top back on the tube. "Thank you." I say to the sky, as my tongue heals enough for me to be able to talk.

I smile, and re-stitch my tongue up while the numb feeling lasts. Now, I am very well off, and don't need anything else. I have food, water, and my injuries are well on their way to being healed.

I smile at the sky again, and am able to fall asleep pain free.

_**Malone Bibidwi POV**_

I'm starting to get desperate. I'm in the spring island, where everything is poisonous. I picked some berries that look like blueberries, but I'm not sure. I don't want to eat them, but my mouth is dry and my stomach growling.

Desperately, I look towards the sky for a gift, but nothing comes. "Please. I need food and water." Still, nothing comes. I thought I had at least one sponsor, especially because of my eight in training.

Curling up on the ground, I hesitantly raise the berry to my mouth. With a sudden burst of self-control, I place the berry back in my pack. I can't try that. Not yet.

_**Cooper Bale POV**_

Life is pretty good so far. We have food, a secluded place to sleep, night vision glasses, and nobody has attacked yet. Juliet has her sickles, Jasmine and I have knives, Oscar has his spear, and Annabelle has her paints.

It looks fine to me, but Annabelle insists that Oscar's stomach wound will get infected it we don't get antibiotic cream. We've used up all the antibiotic cream we have, and we still need more. I think that our biggest problem is Jasmine.

We still can't communicate with her, and it's starting to show. We can't formulate a planned attack on anybody, because she can't understand what we are saying. We really need a piece of paper to communicate with her.

I roll over in the sleeping bag I'm sharing with Juliet, and she kicks me involuntarily. I guess, as long as Oscar's wound heals and we get paper, we are set for the Games.

**Sorry, I know that was a pretty underwhelming chapter. The purpose of it was to basically touch base with each tribute, and identify what they need sponsor-wise. If you have any questions on point value for each gift, just PM me. **

**The chapter contest is a new idea. If it's stupid or boring, let me know, but it gives a chance for multiple people to get two points.**

_**My birthday is in what month?**_

**Don't forget to review!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	18. Plans Gone Wrong

**A/N: I wrote this entire chapter while watching Mulan and chatting with friends, so my apologies if it is not the best.**

**Nobody guessed the correct birthday month for the last chapter, so, the points are as follows:**

**Tereki- 10**

**seanthesheep356- 8**

**LoopyLou1990- 3**

**Wish on the Star- 7**

**MoreThanLess- 4**

**StarCrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 7**

**MaximumAngel1- 3**

**district4person- 4**

**MusicForLife28- 3**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 5**

**A Polite Psychotic Stranger- 5**

**Nicole the Notorious- 2**

**Buttons301- 3**

**This chapter will be fairly intense. Just a hint to how intense: When I saved the document in my folders, I labeled it Killing Spree. I sincerely apologize if your tribute dies and I hope you will continue reading this fic anyway.**

**Now, without further ado, onto the chapter.**

**Don't forget to R&R!**

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

Even though it has been several hours since the sponsor gift came floating down from the sky, I still find myself probing my tongue with my finger. That Capital Cream worked wonders. After only three applications, the stitches were ready to come out and the wound had stopped hurting.

Still, after the near death infection, I have decided to leave the spring section and move to an area with water that is hopefully not poisonous: The winter section. I packed my supplies last night, as soon as I applied my first layer of cream.

I wish I had a weapon to arm myself with, but I don't, so I hold the small needle out in front of me like a mini sword. Long blades of fresh green grass bend easily under the soles of my boots as I cautiously trek towards the Cornucopia.

I am assuming that most of the Careers will be off hunting, and I have a plan to avoid them. I silently curse the Capital for the worst placement of the Cornucopia I can ever remember. It is almost impossible to navigate between the islands without passing through throwing range of all of the Careers' weapons.

I am planning to get as close to the Center Island as possible, and swim across the ocean to the winter island that borders my current one. I've wrapped my pack in a waterproof jacket, to prevent the water from ruining my bread. I've slowly been picking at it, eating a few bites a day, trying to preserve it until I can find some more.

Suddenly, I hear a twig snap, and I crouch down in the grass, aware of how this is just like when Freddy was torn apart by the Avaques. Suddenly, I realize that more mutts could be approaching, and I need to find a tree to climb.

Peering behind me, I see the nearest tree ten yards away. I stand up, and sprint for the tree, desperate to reach it before whatever is behind me does. I hear a cry. "Stephanie?!"

I skid to a stop, dirt and dust settling behind me from my frenzied steps. Turning, I see the sixteen year old boy standing behind me, the sun shining off the golden flecks in his eyes. It's my district partner. "Malone?!"

He grins his little crooked half grin, with his mousy brown hair falling over his forehead. I notice his emancipated body and parched lips. I see him eyeing my water bottle with a look I can only describe as desperation.

"Do… Do you want some water?" I hesitantly hand him my water. He grabs it with shaking hands, and sloshes water into his mouth, grinning as the water rushes it down his throat.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how close I was to losing it. I hate to ask… but… do you… by any chance… have any food I could have?"

I smile at his bashfulness, and reach into my backpack. "Sure." I toss him the loaf of bread. "Don't take any more than you need to. That's my only food."

Malone grins at me, and takes a small hunk from the loaf. After he stuffs his face, he returns about half the loaf to me, and we fall into step next to each other. I think I may have just found an ally.

As I am explaining how I want to get to the Winter Island without the Careers spotting us, I notice him staring at my mouth. Finally, he tells me why. "What's on your tongue?"

I laugh, forgetting to tell him about my tongue. "I had some of the water from this island. It almost burned a hole through my tongue."

"I knew it! I was so thirsty, but I thought the water might be poisonous."

I feel stupid. I should have known the water was poisonous, before I drank it. "Yeah, I guess I was pretty stupid for drinking the water. I think the snow in the Winter Island might be drinkable."

He nods. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

We are now close enough to the Center Island to see the Cornucopia, so I start waterproofing my pack. I look over at Malone, and notice that he doesn't have a pack. Is this really a good idea? It wouldn't be useful to ally with someone who doesn't have any supplies.

Malone takes off his shirt, preparing to cross the strip of water, and I notice a glint of metal in his waistband. "Is that a knife?"

He nods, grinning, and tosses it to me. "You should hold it in your pack while we cross the river. It might fall out if I keep it in my waistband."

I take the knife, and stick it in the side pocket of the backpack, and stick my finger in the water, testing the temperature. _Holy mother of Panem that is FREEZING!_

I turn to Malone, deciding not to tell him how cold it is. I don't want him make the water worse in his mind. It's already bad enough.

I take a deep breath, grab my pack, and take the leap into the water. Instantly, the water covers my head and it is so cold, I have trouble breathing. Without looking for Malone, I swim for the other side, desperately trying to get to the other island before the cold causes me to pass out.

My foot brushes something underwater, and I muffle a scream. The Games seem particularly bloodthirsty this year, and there is only one type of underwater mutation with skin as slippery as the skin my foot just brushed: Cetusians.

They are sharks that have been mutated to have the brains of people who hate us. I look through the water and see two Cetusians. One circles around me, eyeing me with his yellow eyes. "Malone! Cetusians!"

Malone looks down at his Cetusian, and his eyes grow wide. "Quick! Grab the knife!"

I slowly turn towards my side pocket, trying not to startle the Cetusians. I can feel the handle of the knife in my hand, and I pull it out right as the Cetusians attack.

I know who mine is. Ruth, my friend's old girlfriend, caught him cheating on this random girl. For some reason, she thought it was me, and has despised me ever since.

Her yellow eyes narrow and she leaps at me, her mouth open wide ready to swallow me. I shriek, and close my eyes, blindly thrusting the tiny knife forward. I feel a jolt reverberate up the knife, up my arm, and into my teeth, shaking my whole body before I feel the giant beast on the end of my knife go limp.

Blood is circling me, pooling from the bloody stab wound in the Cetusian's carcass. I shove it aside, and turn to Malone. "Malone! Malone, I did it! I stabbed the Cetusian right in the—"

I realize not all the blood it coming from the dead Cetusian. Malone lies in the water, ragged breaths rattling from his chest, where a large bloody bite mark emits blood, mingling with my Cetusian's blood. I'm not sure where the other Cetusian went, so I drag him to the shore of the Winter Island and I lie his dying body down in a snow bank.

"Malone!" I am nearly crying as his eyes begin to glaze over.

"St-Stephanie. You need to win now. I know you can do it. I'm sorry we weren't allies from the beg-beginning." His voice shakes and I stoke his hair.

"Shhh… I understand. It's alright. I'll say hello to everyone back home when I get there. You're going to be fine."

Malone whimpers. "It hurts Stephanie."

I keep stroking his hair, knowing that I can do nothing for his wound. "You saved me Malone. If I didn't have that knife, I would have been killed. Thank you."

His eyes start to close, and he whispers his final words. "I'm glad it was you."

The cannon shot rings though the arena and I cry out. He's dead. He is really dead.

I look to the sky, where I'm sure the Capital has stashed cameras. "He will not be forgotten."

With those words, I pick up my pack, slide Malone's eyes closed, and trek through the snow, determined to win this for both of us.

_**Cooper Bale POV**_

We all woke up before the sun rose, and divided into groups. Juliet, Annabelle, and Oscar would hunt on the ground for animals, berries, and look for fresh water. Jasmine and I will stay in the tree and keep watch.

Just as the hunting group is about to depart, a sponsor gift floats down from the sky and lands at Juliet's feet. She picks it up with a small smile on her face, and pulls out a small medical kit. "This is perfect!" She cries. She hands the pack to Annabelle. "Can you fix Oscar up?"

Annabelle nods, and starts sewing, smearing, and salving up Oscar's wound. The whole thing, quite frankly, is making me quite cautious, so I look away. Juliet pulls a note out of the pot, and uncurls it, reading it with a small smile. A single tear streaks down her face, and a blush creeps up her cheeks.

I must know what that note says. Before she has time to react, I snatch it away from her and read it. In spindly writing it reads, "I'm counting on you Jewel. I know you can do it. –Ian"

"Who's Ian?"

"He's my…" She pauses, and looks to the sky, almost as if asking permission. "Boyfriend."

I smile. This. Is. Gold. I, of course, being one of her close friends, _must_ tease her mercilessly for this. "OOOOOHHHHHH someone's got a boyfriend!"

"Shut up!" Juliet playfully nudges me and takes back her note, tucking it deep into her pack. She scrambles down the makeshift ladder with Annabelle and a newly healed Oscar following closely behind her.

I turn to Jasmine. Grabbing the berry coated stick I write on the trunk. "What do you want to do while we wait?"

She points at some sticks at the base of the tree. "We could gather some wood to maybe build a fire. We might need to cook what they bring back."

I don't really want to leave our camouflaged shelter, but Jasmine really does have a point. After all, what could go wrong?

We start gathering sticks, with Jasmine a few yards away from me. I'm cautious, so I make sure to always keep the ladder within an arm's length away. Suddenly, I hear leaves crunch from a ways away. "Jasmine!" I whisper loudly. "Jasmine, we have to get back in the tree! There are so many footsteps; I think it might be the Careers!"

I am halfway up the ladder by the time I remember that she can't hear me. I start to climb back down the ladder, but then I see the heads of the Careers start to walk into view. I don't know what to do. I look around for something to throw at Jasmine, but there is nothing! I can see the Career's bodies now, so I scramble up into our treetop home, and pull the camouflaged leaf canopy Annabelle made last night down over the structure.

Now, if they glance up at the tree, they won't see anything out of the ordinary. I hear excited shout as the Careers see Jasmine, who is still oblivious to what is about to happen. I cover my ears and scrunch up in a ball, not wanting to hear the consequence of my inability to react quickly enough. I know, no matter what happens, Jasmine's death will be on my conscious for the rest of my—possibly very short—life.

Even with my hands over my ears, I can still hear Jasmine's frightened shout as she sees the Careers. I wonder if she is looking for me. I wonder if she knows I abandoned her. I scrunch myself tighter in a ball, and shove my thumbs into my ears, blocking out all noise.

I stay like that for several minutes before I hear the one noise that could penetrate my barrier of silence: A cannon. I slowly uncurl myself, and take my fingers out of my ears. A lone mockinjay call penetrates the deafening silence that has fallen upon the forest.

I wait a few minutes before I am sure her body is gone, and then I unfurl the canopy to walk down the ladder. I stare in horror at the spot the Careers must have found her. While the body is gone, pools of blood remain gathered among the leaves. I can only imagine the torture she must have suffered before they finally—mercifully—killed her.

I sit huddled in our canopy for hours before Juliet, Annabelle, and Oscar return, a squirrel in their hands, and laughter in their eyes. They stop when they see me crying in the trees, and look horrified as their eyes drift downwards to the pools of blood they are standing among.

We don't say a word. They climb the ladder, divvy up her supplies, and spend the rest of the night in silent mourning for our fallen ally, Jasmine.

**An apology to Tereki for the loss of Malone, and to MusicForLife28 for the loss of Jasmine. They were both fabulous tributes, and they will be missed. **

**I hope you all review!**

**The contest is the same question as before: My birthday is in which month?**

**Now, the person who guesses correctly will be awarded two points!**

**(Everyone gets one guess)**

**Don't forget to review!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	19. Winter Is Coming

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you like the super quick update as an apology for the long wait for the last chapter. There are more deaths in this chapter, but I hope, even if your tribute dies, you will continue reading and reviewing this fic.**

**Speaking of reviewing, Nicole the Notorious managed to guess my birthday, earning her two points. (March :D)**

**The points for reviews are as followed:**

**seanthesheep356- 9**

**LoopyLou1990- 4**

**Wish on the Star- 7**

**MoreThanLess- 4**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 7**

**Tereki- 10**

**MaximumAngel1- 4**

**district4person- 5**

**MusicForLife28- 3**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 5**

**A Polite Psychotic Stranger- 5**

**Nicole the Notorious- 4**

**Buttons 301- 4**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. We are only twenty reviews away from hitting 150! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

_**Nawfar Marella POV**_

Hallie, Cassian, and Peach return late in the night covered in blood. Avery, Gladdie, and I heard two cannon shots during the day. I start a fire, and we all sit down with some bread and fruit from the Cornucopia.

Peach tells the story. "We went into the fall section as planned." She pauses to take a bite of bread. "We saw that deaf girl—Jasmine, I think—gathering sticks. We grabbed her, pulled out our weapons and—"

Peach begins to graphically describe how they tortured Jasmine until she died, but is interrupted by the Anthem of the Capital blasting all over the arena. The first picture in the sky is Malone from District Nine. I know he's not in the Underdog Alliance, so I assuming that he was killed by something else.

The next picture was the one we all expected: Jasmine. I busy myself with counting the tributes that are left. There are, of course, the six of us. There is also Annabelle Greene, Oscar Ferine, Juliet O'Hare, Cooper Bale, Raff Cronin, Alina Chapelier, and Stephanie Turow.

Thirteen tributes left. The Career Alliance Breakup can't be far away.

Suddenly, a silver pot floats down to the ground, right at Cassian's feet. Reaching inside, he pulls out a spear, tipped with gold. Every other gift has come with a message, except his. I can't help but wonder if the Capital censored it.

I glance at my knife. It seems like everybody now has a better weapon than me. Hallie has a spear, Peach has a rapier, Gladdie has an axe, Cassian has his new spear, and Avery has his sword. I'm hoping to be the one to initiate the Career Alliance Breakup, but I don't want to until I have the proper weapon.

Frustrated, I walk off to my tent and try to fall asleep. Just before I drift off, a sponsor package floats through the open door and lands on my back. Before I look at it, I peek out the tent door, noticing that everybody else is still sitting around the fire.

Reaching deep into my sleeping bag, I pull out the pair of night vision goggles I've had stashed since the Bloodbath. I slip them on, and look at my gift. Sitting in the pot is a wonderful spear. The shaft seems to absorb all the light and reflect a blinding silver color, and the diamonds coating the sides of the head are cut to be deadly and sharp.

I pick out the note and read it. Written in tall and thin letters are the words "Don't tell the others. Hope this helps." The name has been blotted out, but I can see what I think is the letter 'a'.

Grinning, I slide the spear into my sleeping bag and wait for morning, knowing that the Career Alliance Breakup will happen soon.

_**Raff Cronin POV**_

I attack tonight. I can see Cassian sitting around the fire, laughing at the new, shiny spear he received from a sponsor. I had hoped he would only be armed with his knife, like before, but I know I can still take him. After all, I have the element of surprise on my hand.

Around midday, a water bottle full of water floated to shore. Blood was around the cap, and there was a leaf plastered to the side. I assumed that it had belonged to Malone Bibidwi, and the hovercraft left it behind when they retrieved his body. I knew there was only reason they would leave water on the arena: it was poisoned.

Once I figured that out, I coated the spearhead with the water. If I can just get _close_ to Cassian, I can scratch him, and he will die. I look up at the Cornucopia, and see my plan start to take effect. I've been watching Cassian for the past few nights, and have noticed that he always takes the first watch.

I've also noticed that they never have night vision goggles, and instead stay by the fire when they are on guard. If I can dodge their tents and avoid stepping on anyone, I can sneak in from behind and bury my spear in his murderous back.

Nawfar, Hallie, Gladdie, and Peach have already left the fire. All that remain are Avery and Cassian. I wait another hour, but Avery won't leave. Revaluating, I realize that I have to carry out my plan with Avery there.

Crouching lower in the sand, I pick up my spear, drink the last few sips of my water, and eat the rest of my loaf of bread, and begin treading slowly through the night. It doesn't matter that I don't have night vision goggles either; the light of the fire sheds enough light so I can barely creep across the bridge and onto the Center Island.

Once I am to the Career camp, I move soundlessly through the tents, letting the darkness mask my every move. That's when things start to go wrong. Avery stands, picks up his sword, and begins walking in my direction. Has he seen me?

I realize that though is ridiculous. It is pitch black, and I am half crouched behind what must be his tent. I have to hide; otherwise I will be killed before I can even get close to Cassian. I lay on my stomach in the Career Camp, with Avery rapidly approaching.

Trying to quiet my breathing, I notice something that almost makes me stop breathing all together: Even though I am out of view from the fire, I am lying on the side of the tent that has the door. Any second now, Avery will walk around the tent and see me crouched in front of it. There is no way that both of us are getting out of this one alive. One of us has to die, and I'm not planning on it being me.

Seconds before he reaches me, I twist around, still holding the spear. He barely has time to register that I am there before I have driven my spear into his stomach. He gasps, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth, and starts to fall to the ground.

I catch him and slowly lower him to the ground—not because I care—but because Cassian cannot hear any noises or else he will become suspicious. Now, time is of the essence. I have to kill Cassian before Avery dies and his cannon alerts the whole camp to my presence.

I sprint for Cassian's back, making sure not to step on anything crunchy. As I get closer, I notice his back is very tense. I don't have time to process that thought before I reach him. I lift my spear up, ready to drive it into the base of his neck.

Suddenly, Cassian twists, his spear already in his hand. He knew I was coming the whole time. My spear crashes into his, sending vibrations all the way up my arms. I try to pull my spear back, but he knocks it out of my hands with a twist of his wrists.

"End of the line, Raff. I'm going to kill you the same way I killed Max: painfully."

I growl, and do the stupidest thing _ever_. Lunging, I grab the shaft of the spear, which causes the spearhead to nick my chest. A thin line of blood appears on my shirt, but I keep holding tight to the spear.

I may not be trained, but I am bigger and stronger than Cassian. With my brute strength, I am able to keep the spear from piercing my skin any more.

"I don't think so," I snarl, trying to distract him from what I am trying to do. "This is the farthest you will ever make it. I'm doing this for Max. You will pay for what you did."

Cassian laughs. "You think you can beat me you little bas—"

While he is laughing, I side step and pull on the spear, causing him to stumble forwards. I take the opportunity to snatch the spear from him, and stand over him.

"There's one thing you probably should have done," I hiss as I slash his throat. "It might have been wise to call for help while you were still alive."

Blood is spewing from his neck, with his shaking hands trying to keep the blood in. His face grows pale as he loses more blood, and he chokes out "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," I say, raising his spear above my head. "You should be." With that, I bring the spear down through his head. Almost simultaneously, his cannon and Avery's cannon go off.

I jerk the spear from Cassian's skull, and start running for the nearest bridge, pausing only to scoop up my discarded spear. The Careers will be in pursuit and I need to get as far away as possible before they realize what has happened.

I run over the bridge, only to realize with dismay that it is the mountain region. I don't do well in cold weather, but I know I can't turn back now. From far behind me I hear yells as the remains of the Career Alliance discover the bodies.

I have to keep running. They are coming.

**Oscar Ferine POV**

We are awoken by two cannon blasts that are only seconds apart. I look at Juliet, who was keeping watch.

"Do you think the Careers just broke up?"

We wait a few more minutes, but no other cannons sound, so she shakes her head.

"No, I don't think so."

We are silent for a few more minutes before I voice what I think everyone has been thinking. "We need water—fast."

Cooper sits up from the sleeping bag next to mine. "We do. We've been pretending like we are fine, but we are getting dangerously dehydrated."

I think about the layout of the arena. "I don't know if the Spring Island or the Summer Island have water, but the Winter Island has all that snow. If we go there for a day we could fill our water bottles and be back here by midday tomorrow."

Annabelle, who has been silent since Jasmine's death, speaks up quietly. "But what about the other tributes? We can't handle loosing someone else."

She breaks off, looking like she might cry. She and Jasmine grew very close over the time in the arena, and I think it hit her the hardest when Jasmine died.

Juliet thinks. "If there are even any tributes in the Winter Island they will probably be asleep. If we are only there for a few hours at the most, we will be fine."

Cooper agrees with Juliet. "Do you guys want to leave now? Juliet has the night vision goggles, so she can lead the way. It would be better to get there before it gets light."

Hastily, we gather up our water bottles, and hurry towards the Winter Island. Nobody wants to cross through the Career Camp, but the Winter Island is on the other side.

We sprint silently along the very edges. Luckily, the Camp seems quiet. Nobody is standing guard, be none of us even suggests looking though their supplies. For all we know, they are hiding in their tents, waiting to ambush us.

Finally, after a terrifying five minutes, we reach the Winter Island. The snow doesn't begin for about fifty yards, so we quietly trek towards the snow. So far, everything is perfect… Until we hear the noise.

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

After I witnessed the death of Malone, I can't sleep. I've built a nice hole in the snow, and the insulation is keeping me warm, but I know I still need to get up and walk around.

I grab my knife and start walking, trying to clear my mind of the events from earlier today. Or, maybe it was yesterday. I've sort of lost track of time.

The darkness of the night—or maybe early morning—masks my footsteps, and the wind blowing against snow covers up my breathing.

I've been walking for a while when I hear the cannons. Immediately, I sprint for the nearest snow bank and crouch down, with my knife at the ready. However, my sleep deprived brain soon takes over, and I fall asleep in the snow, my knife falling out of my limp hand.

_**Alina Chapelier POV**_

The wugglemares are everywhere. Their insistent buzzing keeps me up, and I wave my arms, trying to bat them away. I have to get out of my shelter. I sprint away. Luckily, the wugglemares stay behind. I try to enjoy the moments without them, but I soon hear the deafening buzz of millions of wugglemares heading my way.

I look up to see Raff Cronin bearing down on my from several hundred yards away. Behind him is the entire Career army.

Lea and I are in trouble.

**A/N: Uh Oh… All the tributes are within three hundred yards of each other on the Winter Island. This chapter and the last chapter were originally going to be one, which is why I labeled it killing spree. **

**Goodbye to two fabulous tributes: Avery Reid and Cassian Vespers. You will be missed.**

**Chapter Contest!**

**Complete the Sentence:**

**You are off at camp, and nobody knows you. The camp leaders leave for a few hours, leaving you in charge. You, with complete access to anything at the camp…**

**The winner will get a point!**

**Don't forget to review!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	20. Mountain Massacre

**A/N: This chapter will be special. I PMed seanthesheep356 and asked her to write a special guest chapter! I told her who needed to die, so if your tribute is killed, do not blame her. However, she was able to write how they died, and basically everything else.**

**On a separate note: I have recently started a new fic called "Making Waves". I hope you all go check it out. However, this new fic might mean I upload a little less frequently, **_**but**_**, I have decided that every review you leave on Making Waves will count as a sponsor point for this fic.**

**The current sponsor points are as follows:**

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_**Alina's POV**_

"Do you hear that?" Lea asked me.

"WHERE ARE THE WUGGLEMARES?!" I screamed then Lea held a finger to her lips telling me to be quiet. I heard a distant ring and saw a parachute float down and land next to me. I opened the shiny silver box and saw 3 needles then giggled at their beautiful sight. I saw a small note and opened it smoothing out the paper.

"Use these to listen for the cannon, and the wugglemares will go away. -Tereki"

I giggled again and looked at them carefully. They are my friends, as needles always have been. I always had them taken away, and now people actually want me to have them.

"Thank you Tereki." I said and began to laugh. People say I have an evil laugh, but it's normal to me. They also say it suits me.

I wanted to take a nap, so I laid on the cold that numbed my skin. In my dream three wugglemares surrounded me and told me there'll be three cannon blasts. One for each needle. Then they attacked me and stole my needles and I woke up right before they stabbed me.

"Alina you're okay; you know wugglemares are complete liars." Lea told me. I nodded and she said "Do what makes you happy to not think about them."

I nodded and ran a needle across my right forearm seeing red blood coming out. It's so fascinating to see it; such a beautiful sight.

"Better." I said standing up. I knew what I had to do to unjinx the dream. I let the blood drop onto the snow saying "One," ran the needle across my arm again letting the blood drop "Two," and did it one more time staining the snow saying "Three." Whenever I have dreams of wugglemares trying to kill me, I make a cut for each wugglemare I see, then I never die. So I protected myself; it's to bad nobody believes me when I tell them to do it; they would be alive if they listened. That's not my problem though.

"They're coming." Lea said and I looked to the direction of the wugglemares.

"I'm ready." I said and saw some distant figures in the distance through the forest. I saw Juliet, Oscar, Annabelle walking together in a far distance. Juliet randomly threw a snowball at Cooper and burst out laughing, then Oscar burst out laughing really hard. I saw Cooper smile and frown at the same time, then he threw a snowball at Juliet. She giggled and threw another snowball at him and he threw one back, then Oscar threw one at both of them. They both were a little shocked, and I saw Cooper smile with Juliet nodding and they made three snowballs each.

"What are you- oh no." Oscar said then Juliet and Cooper laughed throwing their snowballs at him.

"Fine we're all even!" Oscar said wiping snow off his clothes and they continued to walk in my direction. I'll have to surprise them; they have wugglemares by them. I saw Raff running as fast as he possibly could with a group behind him; the group that calls me crazy. They all seemed to be really unhappy with him; I wonder what he did to get them that mad. Stephanie was literally a couple feet from Annabelle but was sleeping so neither of them saw each other. Something's about to go down; and it's not gonna be good.

_**Peach's POV**_

I was closest behind Raff and was quickly catching up to him. He's so screwed over right now.

I ran harder and was almost right behind him, then jabbed the back of a trident Nawfar let me borrow. He fell over and I stabbed at his back; but he dodged it and stood up quickly. We both were fighting and trying to knock each other, him with his spear and me with my trident. He gave a huge grunt and knocked me over, but then was backing up with a pale face and his weapon at ready.

I looked at the others then saw people walk into the snowy forest's clearing. I smirked and saw Annabelle flail her arm a bit then finally found Juliet's arm and slapped it. Juliet looked up and groaned "Fudgecakes."

I saw Alina emerge from the clearing and and froze looking at everyone and muttering about wugglemares. I felt an evil grin pass across my lips; this is gonna be fun.

_**Cooper Bale's POV District 6 male**_

Alina ran at me and screamed "YOU'RE A WUGGLEMARE, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" and I panicked a little. She's insane.

I drew the sword I managed to pick up at the Cornucopia and saw Alina only had needles, but she began to stab at me. I stabbed her through the stomach and she shrieked falling to the ground.

"It's all a lie, LEA YOU LIE!" she screamed at nothing, and I just stood feeling kind of awkward watching her talk to "Lea" who I didn't see. Alina looked at her blood on the ground and seemed fascinated by it. She moved the sword across her body and said "Ooooo…" as she watched her blood pour out. Eventually she cut in so many ways she made herself bleed out. A cannon went off for Alina, and I saw everyone else already engaged in some sort of fight. That was the most disturbing thing I ever saw. I looked back on Alina's body, with her cold blue eyes staring blankly.

"HELP!" I heard Annabelle scream at the top of her lungs, then I saw Peach had the poor girl in a headlock with a sword to her neck.

Juliet was fighting Nawfar with speed I have never seen yet was graceful as she dodged all the blows from her trident. Nawfar slashed again and I heard Juliet cry out in pain and a cut along Juliet's forearm. She wrestled Nawfar completely ignoring the cut and saw Annabelle, then literally threw Nawfar off of her and ran towards Annabelle with me.

Peach slashed at Annabelle's throat with a sickening grin, then Annabelle fell to the ground and Juliet gasped. Juliet took a sickle and threw it at Peach right away, who was caught by surprise and fell to the ground accompanied by her cannon blast.

I saw Raff push Oscar to the ground then took off running, actually climbing up a mountain and escaping. Nawfar screamed to the careers "Let's get out of here!" and like that they just ran off back to wherever they were. We were alone.

Juliet, Oscar, and I began to walk towards Annabelle's body and looked at it for a little. Juliet bent down to it and stroked her hair and looked into the blank eyes. She tucked some hair behind Annabelle's ear and shut her eyes, laid her in a more respectful position, then she took the supplies off of Annabelle. We nodded then followed Juliet away from the corpses.

"I think we can get some water from here, the snow looks untouched." Juliet said and we agreed collecting snow and putting it into our water bottles.

"Keep your hands on the sides to warm it up in the meantime. Let's keep moving." Juliet said, but I knew the last sentence wasn't just away from here.

_**Stephanie Turow's POV District 9 female**_

I woke up and brushed the snow off of me, then stood up and saw three dead bodies; Alina, Annabelle, and Peach.

"Did I miss something?" I asked no one in particular; I just feel really confused. Alina seems to have bled out, Annabelle did from the neck, and Peach had a stab mark in her chest. For whatever reason I have a feeling something really, really, REALLY, important just took place and I literally slept through the entire thing…

I started to move away from the bodies as I heard an engine of an aircraft coming. I nervously laughed for the cameras and said "I should pay attention a little more…"

_**Juliet O'Hare's POV District 6 female**_

We walked across a bridge onto the Cornucopia island and were in plain sight of the careers. Big mistake. I felt my eyes go really wide and I shove Oscar and Cooper around a hillside then pointed. They both looked and went pale, then I ran for a mountain on the island. They nodded and we took off running and ran up the steep incline until we reached the top. There was a cave in the side of the mountain, and I held my arm out stopping them from walking in. I picked up a rock and threw it inside, then heard nothing but the echo of the rock bouncing.

"Okay we're clear." I said and we walked in setting down our things.

"By the way, I threw the rock in to see if anyone would come out; it's a way of seeing if anyone's there."

"Ohhh." Cooper and Oscar both said, then I laughed.

"If I had a dollar for every time Juliet has blown my mind with common sense I'd be rich." Cooper said laughing, which spread between us quickly.

"Let's try to melt this snow." I said.

"Wait I got an idea." Cooper said and took one of the bottles. He aimed it at the sky and we began to say "What are you doing?!" and he threw it. It hit a forcefield and bounced back at him, and he dodged it. He took off his jacket and picked up the bottle protecting his hands then opened it to see water. He lightly touched the edge of the water bottle, then held it with his hands.

"I knew the force field would melt it. Thirsty anyone?" he said laughing and tossed it to me. He threw the next bottle into the sky, then to Oscar, and finally took one for himself. We all chugged some of the water and sighed with relief feeling much better.

"So now who should take watch?" Oscar asked, and I volunteered. He climbed into the sleeping bag and said "I'll do it next."

"Okay." Cooper and I said.

Cooper and I would still share a bag because we only had two, and I didn't want Oscar to feel awkward. And he's been a little out of it ever since he saw Annabelle die, I think he needs some time to himself.

Cooper and I got into the sleeping bag and I sat up as he laid down.

"Goodnight." Cooper said.

"Goodnight." I said to him, then held a sickle and examined it to pass time. I looked outside into the night over the water that glistened in the moonlight. I always find it strange most Hunger Games arenas are so beautiful but such bad and horrible things happen in them. I shuddered and looked back down to my beloved weapon that saved my life earlier.

I wonder how everyone is back at home, and I'm especially curious to know how Ian's doing. How everyone reacted when Cooper teased me relentlessly about me having a boyfriend. I can imagine Ian's face when he saw me on their TV, what if it happened at school?! Sierra would bug him like Cooper bugged me about it. And I know Ian, he would have blushed so much, it must have been adorable and I would have paid to see it.

"Juliet." I heard Cooper say.

"Can't sleep?"

"Nope." he said sitting up and running hands through his hair.

"I'm not tired either. It's probably because of work, sometimes the phone in my room would go off in the middle of the night wanting me to taxi a plane because the person who works the night shift called in sick or something. Once I raise my arm and held it in the air which makes you turn out of the airport, and I fell asleep doing it so they actually backed up onto the grass area between taxiways. Ever since then I've been able to stay awake for a long time."

Cooper laughed and I did too; its nice to lighten the mood.

"That sounds fun." Cooper said with his usual sarcasm.

"I wonder how everyone is at home." Cooper nodded, then smirked and said "How Ian is…" and I rolled my eyes.

"Here we go." I muttered and he laughed.

"Actually, I was thinking about what he did when you began teasing me about it. My friend Sierra probably did exactly what you did. And what I'm about to tell you Ian would want you to know… He told me that he kind or, like me, had a crush on me since we were like, five. I remember meeting him for the first time; he was in my kindergarten class. I remember walking in and we were seated across from each other. It was kind of funny, he I saw him looking at me, and I was looking at him on and off. Sierra because our names fit, you know with the pilot alphabet, was put at our table too and at luck we started talking." Cooper nodded with a smile and I sighed.

"Juliet, I wanted to tell you something, and I don't know how to say it without it sounding a little strange… I just wanted to thank you for being one of my best friends, I thought I wouldn't make friends here. Annabelle, Oscar and Jasmine have been great too, I just feel like you've been a sister to me. I thought I'd be like a lot of the tributes from District 6 tributes that end up dying in the bloodbath and being completely forgotten, the ones who never really interacted with anyone, let alone each other. But I'm glad I met you, what were the chances of that happening?" he said then chuckled.

"Cooper you've been like a brother to me too. It's not weird at all! I'm so glad you feel the same, and Cooper. I wanted to say something but I was afraid it was something hard to comprehend for you or something, and you'd be like 'Juliet has officially gone over the rainbow.' But I was wrong, you totally got it. I don't ever want to be separated from you in here-"

"It would be way less fun without you!" we both said then laughed.

"Not that it is fun- JINX!" we both said again; this keeps happening. we always end up trying to jinx each other at the same time but it doesn't work.

"And that's another thing I like about you Cooper, you're direct. Though you sure do use it to you're advantage sometimes," he laughed and I shook my head.

I sighed and said "Bring it in Cooper." then we hugged each other.

"Well I think my shift is up, I should wake up Oscar. Go to sleep." I said and Cooper snuggled himself into the sleeping bag.

I gently shook Oscar awake, then he sat up and I laid down in the sleeping bag I share with Cooper. Out of nowhere I felt his arm lay across my face and I slapped it off.

"You aren't asleep are you?" I asked.

"Nope."

"So what was that?"

"Ah, just payback from the snowballs."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, especially when I'm tired! Ask Sierra or Ian, or anyone who lives with me." I said pushing him a little and he giggled.

"Goodnight Bale."

"Goodnight O"Hare."

**A/N: Don't forget to read and review!**

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**~TrackerJackson and seanthesheep356**


	21. Second Chances

**A/N: Hey guys! I had some time, so I was able to make a quick update! A lot of tributes die in this chapter, but I think their deaths are gruesome enough you guys will enjoy it! **

**seanthesheep356 has asked me to thank everyone who reviewed for their kind words. I would also like to thank everyone for responding to my question. I have decided to make a sequel after this one. When I post the last chapter I will also post the new tribute form for everyone to fill out. The sponsor points will also carry over, so if you don't use all of yours in this fic, it doesn't matter. Remember: every review for my new fic, Making Waves, will count as a point for this fic!**

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_**Hallie Reese POV**_

We're in the final eight and I know the CAB will be happening anytime soon. I keep my spear with me at all times, and I watch Nawfar and Gladdie constantly. We suffered a loss last night when Juliet threw a sickle into her neck.

Luckily, Nawfar managed to slash Juliet's arm. We staggered back to camp bloody, wounded, and tired. That night we say three faces in the sky: Peach, Annabelle, and Alina. After a long nights sleep I think we might be ready to go hunting again. I turn to Nawfar.

"How deep was the cut on Juliet's arm? If it was deep, I say we go after them before it has time to heal."

Nawfar shakes her head. "I don't know. It was too dark to see."

Gladdie pokes his head out from his tent. "I think we should stay away from the Winter Island. I don't know if the tributes left, but if all of them are still there they would overpower us."

Gladdie is so naïve. I'm not sure he has any sponsors, just because he is too afraid of killing. With a sickly sweet smile I slide over to his tent, my spear still in my hand. I don't think he realizes what I'm about to do, but Nawfar casually reaches for a spear. I stop in my tracks. I've never seen that spear before. The only reason I was about initiate the CAB was because I thought Nawfar only had her knife.

It's too last to stop now, so I walk over to Gladdie. "You know Gladdie, you might be right. We wouldn't want to get ourselves killed, now would we?" I smile my creepiest smile, and Gladdie finally realizes what is about to happen. The smile drops off his face and he scrambles backward into his tent on all fours, like some sort of crab.

"I'm not scared. Really, I can help you!"

I am unaffected by his cries for mercy. "Aren't you a little young to be a Hunger Games victor?"

His hand is desperately stretched behind him, looking for the spear I will never let him reach. "Good luck Gladdie. Good luck in hell." With a quick grunt I thrust my spear into his stomach. His legs and arms give out, and he falls to the ground, shaking.

"The train ride," he manages to choke out. "I thought… I thought we were… friends."

I laugh, and grab the shaft of the spear, pulling it out of his writhing body with ease. He screams in pain as more and more blood begins to pool from his body. I turn away from him. He is already dead. Now I have to worry about Nawfar.

I look around the camp, but I don't see her. In fact, I don't see much of anything! A huge pile of food is gone, along with everybody's water bottle and my pack. I check my tent to find my sleeping bag gone as well. While I was killing Gladdie, Nawfar must have taken most of the valuable items from our camp and run off with them!

I need to find her. Looking around, I see a small pair of footprints leading to the Summer Island. I grab the only food I see: A small packet of dried pears, and run off towards the bridge.

When I reach the island I kick off my shoes; they were only sinking into the sand and making me move slower. After all, once I find and kill Nawfar I can take her shoes. Strangely enough, once I reach the jungle the tracks stop, as if wiped away by some invisible force.

I am on high alert, expecting Nawfar to come leaping down from a palm tree at any second. A cannon blast causes me to jump, almost hitting myself in the head with my own spear. That must have been Gladdie finally letting go.

I hear a rustle in the leaves above me and I throw my spear at it. A form comes crashing down at my feet, but no cannon sounds. I take a closer look, and realize my grave mistake. What I thought was Nawfar was really a nest of Trackerjackers. I am very lucky the nest didn't break on impact, but I need to get as far away from it as possible. Nawfar could have heard the nest fall, and could be tracking me right now.

Too late, I hear the rustle in the underbrush a few yards away. Nawfar steps out, knowing that I have no weapon. In her hand is a rock, about the size of a fist. She grins. "Checkmate Hallie."

I snarl at her. "You can bite my perfect, muscular ass. What can you do with that rock? You're too far away. If you throw it at me I'll just dodge it."

She smirks. "Exactly." She lobs the rock at me in a slow arc. If I wanted to, I could catch it, but I decide to prove a point. I sidestep it easily and watch it sail past me. I turn to Nawfar, ready to rub it in, but she is smiling. "And Boom goes the dynamite"

An angry buzzing behind me alerts me to her plan. Looking, I see the rock lying in center of the cracked nest. It is surrounded by hundreds of furious, buzzing Trackerjackers. Nawfar has disappeared into the jungle, and the Trackerjackers have labeled me as their enemy. I must get to the ocean before they get to me.

I feel the first sting at the tree line and I experience several more within the next few feet. Finally, I reach the ocean, but when I jump in, I land instead on the jungle ground. I look up and see Sienna jumping from the tree, and I hear the shattering of her spine.

I yell, trying to go save my little sister. She jumps again from a different tree, but explodes before she can hit the ground. A little piece of her lands on my shoulder, and I shriek. It grows into my father, who yells, "I told you that you couldn't win! See what you've done?! We have no more money! You've killed us all!"

Father grows wings, and flies into the ocean, which turns a boiling black. A large, black wave rises up and moves towards me. It dissolves into Annie-Brook, the girl I killed in the bloodbath. She opens her mouth and starts sucking in air. I slide into it, and I am swallowed.

A figure steps out from the shadows and calls out, "Does anybody have some pecan sandies?"

My body swells and I bust open with the sound of a canon blast.

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

I left the Winter Island last night right after the massacre. By now I feel like I am numb to death. It has followed me everywhere, from Malone, to Freddy, and now, last night. I'm back where I was before: the Spring Island, except this time I have water.

The sound of trumpets blares over the arena. Claudius Templesmith, the newest Announcer, begins talking. "Attention Tributes! I am inviting you to a feast!"

I scoff. I have everything I need.

"Now I know that all of you have everything you need, but this feast will not be supplying food or water. Instead, it will be supplying life. On each island there is a hidden medallion, with the Capital's crest. Every one of you is separated into four groups, and each group is on separate islands. You have twenty-four hours to find the medallion and bring it to the Cornucopia. If you are able to do so, the tribute you most want will be returned to you. From all of us here at the Capital, Namaste, and… Good luck!"

My mind is in a whirlwind. If I can find this medallion, I will be able to see Malone again. Immediately, I begin scouring the grass and the trees, hoping desperately to see a glint of metal. Nothing.

_**Sabrina Ammon POV**_

My long, blue fingernails click on the keyboard as I manipulate the medallions into position and drop them into the arena.

"There," I say to my co-workers. "I have hidden them in the one place none of them will want to go."

Tax, an intern, stares in awe at the monitor. "You're brilliant, Sabrina."

"You bet your Capital I am. There's a reason I'm head Gamemaker and you're just an intern. Now get back to work!"

_**Nawfar Marella POV**_

Things are great for me. I am the last Career standing, _and_ there is a feast tomorrow. I have no interest in bringing tributes back _into _the Arena, but I am certainly interested in taking them _out_. I wander around the Summer Island, looking for the medallion.

This is the first time I've been here, and I don't really know the layout, so I start in the places I've been. I walk back to the bridge that leads to the Main Island, and retrace my steps. I see where I ran, and where Hallie chased me.

When I reach the boulder where I stashed my supplies, I sling the pack over my shoulder and keep going. I reach the shrub where I hid, but I don't see the medallion. I don't really _want_ to go near the Trackerjacker nest, in case there are still any there, but it is the only other place I know on this island.

Thankfully, I see the glint of the medallion hidden among the papery scraps of the destroyed nest. There are no visible Trackerjackers, so I take the medallion and place it in my pack.

Wandering back to the bridge leading to the Center Island I sit and wait for the festivities to begin.

_**Stephanie Turow POV**_

I have to look. It's the only place I haven't been on this whole island: the water. I am petrified of it, ever since it ate a hole through my tongue.

I walk along the riverbank, searching for the metal. After a few yards I see it, wedged between two rocks at the bottom. Should I really do this? After all, I'm risking my own skin for Malone.  
I know I have to. Malone was the only person who tried to be nice to me, and I owe it to him.

Taking a deep breath, and making sure I don't open my mouth, I plunge into the river in search of the medallion. Instantly, I convulse the water eating holes throughout every part of my body. I know there is no recovery from this. Why would the Capital put the medallion in a place that couldn't be reached?

Suddenly, I realize the mind game they have played on me. I knew they were evil, so they made me think they would put the medallion in the most evil place ever. With my last breath I flip over. Sure enough, the medallion is placed in the tree above me, its shiny surface reflecting off the water below.

My blood bubbles around me, and I see Malone. I smile as much as I can with my lips peeling from my teeth. A few second later I am a skeleton floating in a river in the arena, but I feel myself walking away from it all, with Malone by my side.

_BOOM!_

_**Raff Cronin POV**_

It was very easy to find my medallion. It was lying in the snow at the spot where I pushed Oscar to the ground. I didn't see what happened, but I am sure that Because I hindered Oscar, the girl, Annabelle, was killed.

it took everything I had to go back to that spot, and see the ground stained with the blood from last night. All I have to do now is get to the Cornucopia by tomorrow.

I can't wait to see Max.

_**Juliet O'Hare POV**_

As soon as we heard the announcement, Oscar stood up. "We have to find the medallion! We have a chance to get back…" He trails off, and I know why.

We have lost two beloved members of our alliance: Annabelle and Jasmine. I don't know which one I would rather have back, so I don't know which one we would _get _back. I have to step up and be the leader, otherwise we will start arguing about which fallen ally is more important.

"All right you two. We have to find the medallion. It doesn't matter which one is brought back, because we care deeply about both of them. Oscar—you should search the ground. Cooper—you're the best at climbing, so you will look in the trees. I will climb a tree and keep watch."

Ever since Jasmine and Annabelle's death we have decided never to go back to our canopy. It is too haunted with their memories, and I don't think any of us could take the emotional pain.

While Cooper and Oscar look for the medallion, I think about why the Capital is doing this. They aren't merciful or nice, so there must be some sort of price for us, the living tributes. Maybe they hid them near mutts? Or maybe they were lying, and everybody came over to the Fall Island like we did.

If we search, we might just bump into a Career. After all, we heard three cannon shots this morning. The three remaining Careers could be on the hunt. I almost call Cooper and Oscar back, but I stop myself. I'm just being paranoid. The Capital has never lied about a feast before, and why should now be any different? They must have some other motive: mental trauma.

As soon as I think that, I realize exactly where our medallion is. I swiftly climb down the tree and run to where Oscar is. "Oscar! Where is Cooper? I think I know where our medallion is!"

"Um… I'm not sure. He went that way but I never saw him actually climb a tree."

Suddenly terrified, I sprint in the direction Oscar pointed, yelling softly, "Stay _right_ here," as I leave. After Cooper and I had that conversation last night I have felt our relationship strengthen. Not like Ian and me, but just like brotherly and sisterly love. It's special!

The only thing that consoles me is the lack of cannon blast. I whip through the trees, vines and leaves slapping at my face. I'm concentrating so hard on not stepping on roots, I slam right into Cooper. He falls backwards, and I fall on top of him.

He looks at me in surprise. "I thought you said you were going to keep watch."

I lightly shove his shoulder. "I thought _you_ would have the common sense to stay close."

He laughs. "Clearly we can't have high expectations for either of us."

I laugh as well, and we stand up, dusting dirt and leaves off our clothes. "I guess we should get back," I say. We don't want Oscar to get worried."

Cooper grins at the ground. "I know one reason we can stay here."

"What?"

"This." Cooper leans over, and, before I know what's going on, he kisses me.

I stumble back, breaking the kiss. "Cooper… I can't. I love you like a brother, but I have a boyfriend at home. I love him and I'm faithful to him. I'm really sorry."

Cooper starts to tear up. "I'm really sorry Juliet. I don't know what I was thinking. I promise—it won't happen again."

As much as it hurts, I know what I have to do. "No, Cooper… it won't happen again. I'm really sorry, but I can't stay in an alliance with you. It's just not fair to Ian. I'm going to go. I'm sorry Cooper."

I walk away slowly.

"Wait!" Cooper comes running up to me and I turn, half wanting him to give me a good reason to stay. He doesn't disappoint. "What about the medallion. It would mess everything up."

"All right. I'll stay for the medallion. You just have to promise me that nothing will happen and that the kiss meant nothing."

He stares at me. "I can promise that nothing will happen again, but I can't say that the kiss meant nothing. Juliet… I really like you! I understand that you don't like me back, but I need you to know I like you."

"You can feel whatever you want. You just have to keep your promise."

"I will."

I walk back to Oscar silently, a little ahead of Cooper. "Come on," I tell Oscar.

I lead them to our old shelter and I climb the ladder. Nestled in Annabelle's old medical kit is the shining golden medallion. "Horary," I say in monotone. "We found it. Early tomorrow we should go to the Cornucopia and find a spot before everyone else gets there."

Later that night we all lay in separate sleeping bags. I know I won't sleep. I lean up against the tree trunk and sigh. Cooper sits up too. "Once again, we are the two people awake."

I don't answer him.

"O'Hare… I know you're awake. I just wanted to tell you that I was wrong, it meant nothing. I'm really sorry. I guess I was just caught up in the moment."

I roll my head along the trunk until I'm facing him. "Thank you, Cooper. You're a really good friend, and I don't want to hurt that or my relationship with Ian."

"I understand."

Finally, with all my relationship trouble fixed, I tighten my grip on the medallion and fall asleep quickly.

_**Cooper Bale POV**_

It meant something.

**A/N: OOOOO people have a chance to come back! Who do you want to come back?**

**RIP Gladdie, Hallie, and Stephanie. I liked all three of those tributes, so I hope their deaths were exciting enough.**

**What do you guys think about the feast idea? Do you like what happened between Cooper and Juliet? Who do you want to see die?**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Here is the chapter contest. It's a hard one.**

_**In the first half of the chapter there are six quotes/catchphrases/references to popular television shows .Each one is worth two points. If you get all six it is worth fifteen points. Please PM me your answers so people don't cheat off the reviews :D.**_

~TrackerJackson


	22. Feast

**A/N: Hey! So, I apologize for the hard contest in the last chapter. Here are the answers, in order of when they appeared:**

"**Aren't you a little young to be a Victor?"- Phineas and Ferb **

"**Good Luck Gladdie"- Good Luck Charlie **

"**Kiss my perfect, muscular ass"- Futurama **

"**And, Boom goes the dynamite"- Family Guy**

"**Does anybody have any pecan sandies?"- American Dad (but I accepted Family Guy, because the American Dad character says this line in a special episode.)**

"**From all of us here at the Capital, Namaste, and… Good Luck!" –Lost**

**If you have any questions, just PM me. The sponsor points are as follows:**

**seanthesheep356- 22**

**LoopyLou1990- 11**

**Wish on a Star- 14**

**MoreThanLess- 9**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDistrict2- 7**

**Tereki- 9**

**district4person- 5**

**Lizabeth- 5**

**A-Tribute-Called-Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 5**

**A Polite Psychotic Stranger- 5**

**Nicole the Notorious- 6**

**Buttons301- 7**

**Something else- I've been noticing a decrease of reviews, and I'm worried people have stopped reading. Is it because your tribute died, are people reading and not reviewing, or have people stopped reading?**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and PLEASE review!**

_**Cooper Bale POV**_

I wake up in the morning before anyone else. Sitting up, I stretch and look around. Oscar, Juliet and I are positioned at the very edge of the Fall Island, close enough to see the Cornucopia. We want to be the first ones to the Feast, but we also didn't want to be put in a position that would make us susceptible to attack.

Juliet sits up in her sleeping bag just as the sun spills over the horizon. The light hits her hair, and I marvel at its beauty. It looks orange and pink in the light, and small strands of gold are highlighted within it. I think about our kiss yesterday. Her beautiful jade-green eyes were sparkling, standing out among the red and orange leaves. Wind had captured her hair, blowing small strands back, and her mouth was open in laughter.

Yes, it hurt when she rejected me, but I don't regret the kiss. I needed her to know how I fell. If I die today, I want to die with her knowing how special she is. Juliet opens her eyes and I hurriedly look away from her.

"Hey, Cooper," she mumbles, rubbing her eyes. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long… Maybe about five minutes. We should wake Oscar. The sun just rose, and the feast will be starting soon."

Juliet swings her arm over her body, too tired to fully stand up, and punches Oscar in the arm. "Oscar, gettup. S'time to move."

Oscar wakes up with a jolt. He sees Juliet in the sleeping bag next to him, and lightly punches her. "Geez Juliet, don't startle me like that! I thought Nawfar had found us."

I laugh at him, and start packing my sleeping bag. "We should all eat and drink something. We are basically walking into another Bloodbath."

Oscar pulls out a slice of bread. "I know we don't want to consider this but… is this really worth it? I mean, we could die—all of us—just for one person back."

We are silent, and I have to think about what he is saying. He's right, or course, but I still know we have to try. "It's a chance we have to be willing to take. You got so close to Jasmine. Are you really going to give up on a chance to get her back?"

I don't mention how I'm hoping for Annabelle to come back. Honestly, Jasmine was a hindrance to our alliance. Annabelle, on the other hand, was a skilled healer, and I knew I could put my life in her hands. Oscar nods, convinced by my words. "All right, we'll go. Just promise me this—if it starts to get too dangerous we'll leave, no matter how close we are to getting Jasmine or Annabelle back."

Juliet, with her bag packed and some beef jerky in her mouth, nods. "I promise."

Juliet hands me the medallion, and we walk over the bridge and onto the Main Island. We all hold our weapons a little tighter, aware that we could be attacked at any time. Luckily, Annabelle's bow was taken out of the arena with her body, so I don't think there is any chance of us being hit by a long-range item.

We scurry closer to the Cornucopia, and I keep watch as Oscar and Juliet duck inside. Once they are inside, I crawl in as well, cringing at the metallic smell of gold and flecks of dried blood. I have no idea how this is going to work. The Capital is powerful, yes, but I don't think even they can bring people back from the dead. Can they?

A few moments later three cylinders rise up from the ground a few feet away from where we are hiding. A triangular hole is implanted in the cylinder farthest from us, and I look at our triangular medallion, knowing that we must place it in the hole.

Juliet looks at us with fear in her eyes. "Should we go for it? I don't want them—" She points at the other cylinders— "Coming after us."

Oscar nods, and tightens his grip around his spear. "I guess we should."

I brace myself, and shuffle my feet into a position good for sprints. I'm closest to the mouth of the Cornucopia, so I will be the first one out. "Okay, let's run on the count of three. I have the medallion, so I will run to the cylinder. You two should cover me."

Juliet and Oscar nod, and I slowly start counting. "One… Two…THREE!"

I push off with my back foot, almost stumbling as my shoe fails to find traction on the slippery metal. Once I land on the grass, however, I sprint as fast as I can towards the cylinder. Jamming they medallion into the hole, the glass opens and I can see the golden curls of Annabelle.

I hear Oscar cry out behind me, and I waste precious time looking back to see if he was okay.

To my dying day I regret looking back. He has been hit by a knife, and a stream of blood is running down from where the knife is buried in his shoulder. "I'm fine!" He yells in a strangled voice. "Grab whoever is in the cylinder and let's get out of here!"

I look back at the cylinder to see Annabelle's eyes open. She has a faint scar on her neck, but she looks as healthy as she was pre-arena. "Cooper?" Her voice is raspy, but she looks happy. Suddenly, eyes open wider, and she yells, "Duck!"

Twisting around as I fall to the ground, I see Nawfar emerge from the summer section, and a knife whistling towards me. The knife passes harmlessly over my head, and I turn back to Annabelle, just to find the same knife lodged in her stomach.

"No!" I cry, and pick her up, desperate to save her. She cried out in pain, and I gently lower her to the arena floor.

"Leave…me," she chokes out. "You have to save… them." I cry as her face pales, and her eyes gently close. For the second time in three days, Annabelle dies with a cannon blast to usher into the next world. I cradle her face to my chest, shoulders heaving as fat tears run down my face.

I didn't get a chance to grieve for her on the mountain, and this time is no different. Cursing the Capital in my head, I scramble to my feet, running for the Fall Island. Juliet and Oscar follow behind, but Oscar is slowed by his wound.

I reach the bridge, and crash into the forest, tears blurring my vision as I whip through branches. Finally, once the tears render me blind, I crash into a tree trunk. I feel the impact in my forehead, and I fall to the ground, rubbing the lump that is already forming.

Juliet catches up quickly, and kneels next to me, tears running down her cheeks as well. "I'm so sorry Cooper. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was! If I hadn't looked back when Oscar yelled, I would have gotten her out in time."

"You were just looking out for him. I would have done the same thing! You can't blame yourself!"

I don't answer her, and just curl up in a ball. Juliet stands up and looks around. She turns to me, her eyes worried. "Cooper… Where's Oscar."

I uncurl, and look around. The forest is silent. "I don't know…"

With a panicked expression, Juliet and I run back through the forest to the Cornucopia, hoping we aren't too late. We are. Just as we clear the forest, we see Nawfar standing over Oscar, holding several knives, with three knives already in Oscar's body.

"Oscar!" Juliet yells, starting to run to him. I grab her shoulders and pull her back. "There's nothing we can do. Come on."

I pull her back into the forest, and she—thankfully—follows willingly. I lose my grip on reality as the second cannon blast of the day resounds throughout the arena.

We both fall to the ground, tears eating away at the dirt as they fall from our cheeks. Oscar was right: the Feast wasn't worth it.

We stay like that for the rest of the day, huddled under a pile of leaves with tears in our eyes and two missing allies.

_**Raff Cronin POV**_

I'm going to get Max back today. The sun has just cleared the mountain, and I can already see the Cornucopia. I'm on the right track!

I lie flat against the bridge, too scared to fully walk into the Main Island. If each medallion is different from my square one, nobody will be able to take Max, so it doesn't matter if I'm late to the party.

Three cylinders rise up and lock into place a few minutes later, and I see Juliet O'Hare, Oscar Ferine, and Cooper Bale scramble out of the Cornucopia. A noise to the left of me causes me to tense up, and I turn my head slightly to see Nawfar Marella sprinting out from the Summer Island with five knives and a spear.

I pity the alliance at the Cornucopia, because they don't see the danger that is about to befall them. Nawfar pulls out a knife and throws it at the pack, hitting Oscar in the arm and drawing a torrent of blood. I can hear is anguished cry from where I am hiding and I see Cooper and Juliet look back to check on him.

Nawfar draws nearer to them and throws another knife, this one aimed at Cooper. He ducks, but the projectile sails into the open cylinder, hitting the tribute inside. Cooper's yell breaks my heart as I hear a canon shot, presumably for the cylinder tribute.

Juliet, Cooper, and Oscar start running back for the Fall Island as they see Nawfar sprint for them. It was the right move, but Oscar's injury slows him down and Nawfar hits him with another knife, this one in his knee. Juliet and Cooper, oblivious to their ally's downfall, are still sprinting back to their Island.

As much as I want to help the poor boy, I know that running to his rescue now would only get both of us killed. I hate myself for doing it, but I just lie flat on the bridge and try to block out Oscar's screams. A girl's yell mingles with his cries of pain, and I look up to see Juliet and Cooper standing back on the bridge.

Juliet tries to run for Oscar, but Cooper holds her back. It was a smart call on his part. Finally, after what seemed like eternities of torture, Oscar finally slips away and his cannon booms. Nawfar stand up, wiping her bloodstained hands on her shirt. She rotates slowly, not even bothering to walk over to her cylinder.

"Raff, I know you're out there watching me! I just want to let you know—I have no interest in getting back my tribute. I don't care how long it takes; I will sit here and wait for you to show yourself. These cylinders disappear at sundown, and I know you wouldn't risk losing Max!"

She sits down on the hard packed ground and I sigh. I don't know if she is bluffing about the cylinders disappearing, but I am not willing to call it. I slowly stand up, find a good grip on my spear, and walk into the Main Island.

Nawfar sees me and grins. She discards the rest of her knives and pulls out her sword. "When you snuck into our camp you really should have killed me as well."

I smile at her cockiness. "I guess I'll just have to fix that mistake now."

She charges me, twirling her spear around in her hands. I run towards her as well, but sidestep her as I get near, and continue running for the cylinder. She is a better fighter than me, and my only chance for survival is to outnumber her.

Switching hands with the spear, I hold out the medallion and slide it into the opening. The glass slides open to reveal Max. He looks completely healthy, except for a small bloodstain on his shirt. Without giving him time to recover from being dead, I yank him out of the cylinder and yell at him to help me.

Bob, his stuffed unicorn, falls lifelessly to the cylinder ground and Max steadies his feet. Lunging forward, I grab one of Nawfar's discarded knives, and toss it to him. He fumbles with it, but manages to catch it.

Nawfar is almost upon us and I ready my spear. She dodges my first thrust, and counters with her own spear, I lean to the side, but it nicks my arm. A drop of blood falls on the ground, and I yell back at Max. "Max, come on! I know you just came back from the dead, but I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP RIGHT HOW!"

Max starts to circle Nawfar, trying to stab at her exposed back as she is busy fighting me. Nawfar starts to look worried, and tries to angle herself to cover her back. She is still attacking me with all her skill and strength, and is starting to overpower me.

I am pushed up against the Cornucopia, and the scalding metal burns my back through my shirt. Nawfar lunges at me and her spear clangs off the metal, throwing her back a step. I take another swipe, but she knocks my spear away with her own.

I lose my grip on it, and it clatters to the ground. Max is almost to Nawfar's back, and I'm counting on him to save me. Sadly, with me weaponless, Nawfar deftly turns and smoothly thrusts her spear forward. Max falls back, a large puncture through his head. The canon sounds immediately.

All of this was for nothing. I guess it was just Max's destiny to die by the hands of a District Four tribute. A single tear rolls down my cheek, and Nawfar ends my misery with a single push of her arms. The spear finds my heart and I slide down the Cornucopia.

The last thing I see is Nawfar's retreating back as she runs towards the Fall Island.

_BOOM!_

**A/N: RIP Annabelle, Oscar, Max, and Raff! I was **_**so close**_** to letting Annabelle and Max live, but I decided that it's time to go ahead and finish this SYOT.**

**I really liked Oscar and Raff, and was sad to see them go. Originally, when I started planning this SYOT, they were supposed to be the final two, but the story just took me elsewhere. I hope their deaths were tragic enough, and I hope you guys will continue reading the fic anyway!**

**This will be the last Chapter Contest (I know! It's so sad!) The next chapter will be where the victor is announced, then there will be one of them back in the Capital, and then there will be an Epilogue. After that, I will be starting work on the sequel!**

**My goal for this SYOT is to get to 200 reviews. I hope you all help me with that! Right now we have 154!**

**Anyway, the contest is just, in your review, tell me who you hope wins. I **_**think**_** I know, but the reviews will change my mind!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	23. Victor

**A/N: I was told by several people that they had trouble reviewing the last chapter. I found the problem and fixed it, so you should be able to review this chapter **** so sorry for the mistake!**

**I got a pretty negative review on the last chapter, and I just wanted to tell the reviewer that I do not appreciate flames. I don't know if you are reading this, because, apparently, you were "gunna stop reading this cos gladdie died," but I would like to remind you that I love constructive criticism, hints, tips, and other helpful comments. I will not, however, stand by as you say that, "this story is crap." Please grow up and stop being such a sore loser. **

**I would like to thank all of you that left actual reviews. They really make my day, and every time I see one I smile. I'm looking forward to writing the sequel! The points for sponsors are as follows: **

**seanthesheep356- 24**

**LoopyLou1990- 13**

**Wish on the Star- 16**

**MoreThanLess- 17**

**StarcrossedLoversOfDiistrict2- 7**

**Tereki- 9**

_**MaximumAngel1- 10 (Sorry for skipping you last chapter!)**_

**district4person- 6**

**Lizabeth- 5**

**A-Tribute-Called- Sarah- 1**

**katnisspeetaforever12- 7**

**A Polite Psychotic Stranger- 5**

**Nicole the Notorious- 6**

**Buttons301- 7**

**Dolphin444wssc- 2 **

_**Nawfar Marella POV**_

Last night four faces flashed across the sky: Annabelle Greene, Oscar Ferine, Raff Cronin, and Maximus Faccolto Jr. I felt a surge of pride as I saw them; I had killed all of them! If the Capital wasn't fawning over me before, they certainly were now. Every couple of minutes I look at the sky, expecting to see a gift floating down, but there is nothing. I wonder what's causing the sponsors to hold back.

I slept well last night, back were the old Career Camp was. My back was to the Cornucopia, and I scattered leaves around me. If Juliet or Cooper tried to sneak up on me I would hear them. I've made it to the Final Three, but it will be hard for me to win. Juliet and Cooper are in a very tight alliance, and I think they will attack me together.

They are hiding out in the Fall Island, and I know they won't come out unless the Gamemakers force them to. Leaving my supplies, I walk to the Island with nothing but my spear in my hand. Only one of us will be walking out of that Island alive, and I plan for it to be me.

As I pass the cylinders, which are still protruding from the ground, I give a fond pat to mine. I still have no clue which tribute is inside, and I don't really care. I haven't made any friends in this arena, and anybody who came out of there would only want to kill me.

As I cross the bridge I quiet my footsteps, my shoes making a soft tapping noise on the soft wood. Since I know this could be my final hour alive, I start noticing things I've never seen before. Beautiful red leaves drift towards the ground, sunlight capturing it, and throwing a dancing shadow on the ground. Tiny little birds hop from tree to tree, singing a funny little tune.

I almost regret my decision to volunteer for Nerida, but I know, if I had to do it all over, I would still volunteer. I hear a crunch behind me and I whip around, expecting to see the end of Juliet's sickle, or perhaps Cooper's knife, but I just see a small bird rustling around in the leaves.

I kick the ground near it, and the bird flies away. I tread for a few more miles, jumping every time I hear I noise. After a few hours I reach the edge of the arena, and I still haven't seen Juliet of Cooper. I'm starting to get suspicious, but then I hear a distinct rustle in the bushes. This time it's not another bird.

I have just turned around when I feel a stabbing pain go through my left shoulder. A stream of blood stems from a long cut. If I had not turned, the knife would have slashed through my heart.

Turning, I see Cooper step out of the trees, looking nervous that his first attack failed. I smile, and taunt him. "Guess you weren't as smart as you thought! I'm clearly more skilled than you. Where's your little girlfriend?"

He growls. "She's _not_ my girlfriend!"

He swipes at me with his knife, and I deflect it easily with my spear. Another noise behind me causes me to turn, and I barely dodge a sickle that is hurtling towards my face. It sticks in the tree behind me, and Cooper pulls it out. Juliet emerges from the forest, two more sickles in her hands and one stuck in her belt.

They both attack me from either side, and it takes all my strength and training to sidestep, duck, and block their attacks. I manage to land a few blows myself. After a couple of minutes Cooper has a nasty cut on his forehead and a stab wound through his knee, and Juliet has a couple of scrapes along her neck and arms. She is all out of sickles, and I knock Cooper to the ground with the butt of my spear, and approach her slowly.

She looks terrified, and I trace the edges of her cheeks with the point of my spearhead. It clearly takes all of her self-control not to knock it away, and I smile, my lip curling slightly. "Guess you're out of luck, Juliet O'Hare."

I hear Cooper make a noise, and I turn to look at him, but it's just him fruitlessly trying to crawl towards Juliet. With his injured knee he can't stand, much less walk. With Cooper on his way out and Juliet pinned up against a tree, I definitely have this Game in the bag.

The sun is setting over the Arena as I prepare to make my final strike.

_**Cooper Bale**_

_Four Hours Earlier…_

It was midday, and Juliet and I were back in our canopy, disguised within the trees. For a while now we had been silent, not really knowing what to say. In a matter of hours one—or both—of us would be dead, but that's not really an interesting topic of conversation.

Finally Juliet looks at me and whispers, "Cooper, what are we going to do?"

I don't know how to answer her. I love her far too much to say what I know has to happen. After a few seconds I gather my courage. "Juliet, I think we have to break this alliance. It's the final three. If we team up we will be able to kill Nawfar, but then we will be pitted against each other. I would rather be killed by Nawfar than have to decide between you or me."

She nods, close to tears. "I know it's the right decision, but… I love you!" She sees my excited expression and hurries to correct herself. "Not like that, but like a brother. You mean so much to me and, if we split up, the next canon shot will terrify me until I know it wasn't yours."

"I know what you mean, but I would hate the next canon even more if I know it means we are the final two. I'm sorry Juliet, but, for both of us, I have to leave."

Juliet kisses my cheek. "I know you do. I understand that—really. I just don't like it."

My throat closes up and I am too close to tears to respond. I just take my knife, a water bottle, and a slice of bread, and climb down the ladder. Expecting Juliet to be looking at me, I look back up for one final shared moment, but her back is to me so I just slowly walk away.

The next few hours are miserable. I walk through the arena without seeing where I'm going, with my mind filled with thoughts of Juliet. It kills me to know that I will die without her ever knowing how much I love her. And that's exactly what I plan to do: die. I will find Nawfar and wound her so severely before she finally takes me down so that when she fights Juliet, it will be easy for her to win.

It only takes a few hours to locate Nawfar, with her crashing steps and her dark black hair that stands in contrast with the orange and red leaves. I follow her for a few hours without her noticing, until I accidentally trip and step into a pile of leaves.

With my heart beating out of my chest, I leap behind a tall oak tree and raise my knife, preparing for Nawfar to catch me at any moment. Luckily, she attributes the noise to a tiny mockingjay hopping around in a different pile of leaves. I let out a sigh of relief, and continue tracking Nawfar until we reach the edge of the arena.

She turns, perplexed, and I can only imagine the thoughts running through head. I know she knows we are on the Fall Island, and I bet she is wondering why we haven't shown up. I have half a mind to run back to our canopy, grab Juliet, and run away to a different island, but I know the Gamemakers would force us back together at some point.

Deciding there is no use in prolonging it anymore, I lunge forward and stab at Nawfar's exposed heart. She spins, avoiding my blade, but I manage to slice her shoulder. Sadly, it is her left shoulder, and she uses her right to fight.

She sneers at me and yells, "Guess you weren't as smart as you thought! I'm clearly more skilled than you. Where's your little girlfriend?"

I growl. She has no right talking about Juliet like that. It only hurts me more, seeing as I left her up in the canopy. "She's _not_ my girlfriend!"

I give up on the element of surprise, and I slash at her again. Like I expected, she blocks with her spear and I almost lose my balance. I have just given up when a sickle whips by Nawfar's head, almost decapitating her. I grab the sickle from where it landed in the tree, and look up to see Juliet's beautiful, jade green eyes staring at me from behind a curtain of red leaves.

"Juliet," I whisper, and we immediately start battling Nawfar. Juliet is amazing, twirling her sickles and stabbing at Nawfar, keeping her engaged so I can stab her several times in the arms, causing her to lose a lot of blood.

Without warning Nawfar turns, and stabs me through the knee, causing me to sway, and a stab to my face causes me to fall. Nawfar deflects Juliet's last sickle, and backs her up against tree. Suddenly things have gone from good to bad.

I can barely see through the blood running into my eyes, but I try to crawl to Juliet's defense. Nawfar looks back at me and smiles, clearly not considering me a threat. She must not know how much I love Juliet. I will suffer any amount of pain to save her life.

I grab at a nearby tree and painstakingly raise myself to my feet. Nawfar raises her spear and I desperately shuffle, trying to grab her arm. Juliet scrunches her eyes closed, waiting for the strike, and I lunge forward on my good knee.

Even as I fall I know I will be too late to grab her arm.

_**Juliet O'Hare POV**_

Cooper just can't leave! He will be killed, and I would blame myself for the rest of my—probably short—life if he did. I turn around as he climbs down the ladder and I attach all my sickles to my belt, take a gulp of water, and eat the last piece of bread.

When I turn around Cooper has disappeared, so I sneak down the ladder for the last time, and follow him. He walks aimlessly for a while, and I try to stay at least a mile behind him so he won't see me if he turns around.

After a while I see Nawfar through the trees, and I almost warn Cooper, but I see that he has noticed Nawfar as well. I resume my careful tread, only stopping when Cooper steps in a pile of leaves. I adjust a sickle, ready to throw it if Nawfar catches him.

Thankfully she doesn't, and I resume silently following Cooper. I'm not quite sure why I'm following him. I know I have to reveal myself at some point, but I hope to delay that for as long as possible. Cooper's arm slashes out from the jungle, and I hear a cry of pain from Nawfar.

I wait for a canon, but nothing happens so I sprint to Cooper, hoping to help him in any way I can. I hear Nawfar taunting me, and I hear my name. Cooper responds with something indignantly and I can see Nawfar's arm twitch, ready to deliver a crushing blow to Cooper, so I pull a sickle from my belt and hurl it at her head.

She turns and it misses her by a millimeter, so I pull two of my sickles from my belt and burst into the clearing. Nawfar looks from me to Cooper and back to me, and then we engage in a desperate battle to the death.

She lands several blows on my neck and arms, but Cooper gets hurt the worst. His kneecap is bleeding badly, and I think it might be shattered. Nawfar cuts open his forehead with her spear, and he topples to the ground.

I almost cry out his name, but Nawfar pins me to a tree. She teasingly traces my face with her spearhead, as if tracing the lines she will later cut. Still keeping me trapped against the tree she raises her arms and I close my eyes, waiting for my life to be cut to a sudden end.

The last thing I see is Cooper lunging for Nawfar, and I silently pray for him to win. The canon sounds seconds later and I open my eyes, expecting to see… afterlife, I guess? Instead I see Nawfar with a knife planted in her back lying on her back with her wide, unblinking eyes staring at the sky.

Cooper lies next to her, his face pale and his hands sticky with blood. He grins, and looks up at me. "She forgot I still had the knife," he laughed, flecks of blood spewing from his mouth.

I cry out and sit next to him, cradling his head in my lap. "Cooper, no, don't go. Don't leave me. Not like this. I can't do this without you!"

He weakly shakes his head. "I don't regret it. You're going home, Juliet."

Tears fall on his dying face, and I kiss his forehead softly. His face is burning up with a fever and I know his time left is limited. "Thank you Cooper… Thank you so much."

He smiles weakly and reaches up a shaking hand to gently stoke my cheek. "You have to know that the kiss meant something. Juliet… I love you."

I shake with misery and hug him harder. I know I love Ian, but I love Cooper too—just in a different ways. "Cooper…"

He interrupts me. "You don't have to say it back. I know you don't feel the same way, I just needed you to know."

"I do love you. Just… not like that. Cooper, I came into this arena expecting torture and horror, and that's what I got. But, when I was with you, none of it seemed so bad. I will always care and remember you and I need _you_ to know how much I care for you."

I look down at him. His eyes are closed and his face pale, but his canon hasn't sounded yet. I have no clue how much of my speech he heard, but I hope he heard enough. His grasp grows limp and his canon echoes through the empty arena.

A hovercraft appears and raises me from the arena, but I know some part of me will always be there, holding Cooper's dead body.

_**Cooper Bale POV**_

The last thing I heard before I faded into the darkness was Juliet tenderly whispering, "I do love you." I died with a smile on my face.

**A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh the arena part of this is over! The next chapter will be Juliet being fixed up in the Capital and stuff, and then she will be going home in the epilogue. **

**This is the first chapter I will be re-introducing a new-and-improved Tribute Form for you guys to fill out for the sequel. Please submit your tributes to me through PM; I will not be accepting any tributes that are sent in through reviews. **

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**

_**TRIBUTE FORM**_

**NAME:**

**NICKNAME:**

**GENDER:**

**AGE:**

**DISTRICT:**

**EYE COLOR:**

**HAIR COLOR AND LENGTH:**

**PREFERRED HAIR STYLE:**

**ANY OTHER FACE DETAIL:**

**BODY SHAPE:**

**APPROXIMANT WEIGHT:**

**APPROXIMANT HEIGHT:**

**HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT KILLING SOMEBODY:**

**WILL THEY DIE IN THE BLOODBATH?:**

**WILL THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE BLOODBATH:**

**ARE YOU OPEN TO AN ALLIANCE:**

**ARE YOU OPEN TO A ROMANCE:**

**WHAT KIND OF HOUSE DO THEY LIVE IN:**

**WRITE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH MEMBER OF THE FAMILY AND THE RELATIONSHIP YOUR TRIBUTE HAS WITH THEM:**

**WRITE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH FRIEND YOU TRIBUTE HAS (INCLUDING WHERE THEY MET):**

**WHAT THEY DO THE DAY OF THE REAPING:**

**REAPING OUTFIT (INCLUDING SHOES):**

**THEIR VIEW ON THE CAPITOL:**

**THEIR VIEW ON THE GAMES:**

**WHO THEY WALK TO THE REAPING WITH:**

**IF REAPED—WHAT IS THEIR REACTION, AND DOES ANYBODY ALMOST VOLUNTEER?:**

**IF VOLUNTEERED—WERE THEY PLANNING ON VOLUNTEERING AND WHO DID THEY VOLUNTEER FOR?:**

**THREE (OR LESS) QUOTES YOU WANT SAID DURING GOODBYES:**

**WHAT IS THEIR MENTOR LIKE (HOW DID HE/SHE WIN THE GAMES, ARE THEY AN ADDICT, HOW DO THEY INTERACT WITH THE TRIBUTE?):**

**HOW YOUR TRIBUTE INTERACTS WITH HIS/HER DISTRICT PARTNER:**

**HOW THEY USE THE SHOWER:**

**WHAT THEY DO IN THEIR ROOM:**

**OUTFIT THEY PUT ON:**

**THE FOOD THEY EAT FOR DINNER THE NIGHT IN THE TRAIN:**

**HOW THEY REACT WHEN THEY SEE THE CAPITAL:**

**ANY ADVICE THE MENTOR GIVES THEM FOR THE CHARIOT RIDES.**

**HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WAITING AND CHEERING TO WELCOME THE CHARIOT TRAIN:**

**NAME AND GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THREE STYLISTS, INCLUDING HOW THEY DRESS AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE TRIBUTE:**

**WHAT IS DONE TO THE TRIBUTE (MAKEOVER WISE):**

**NAME AND GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STYLIST, INCLUDING HOW THEY DRESS AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE TRIBUTE:**

**DESCRIBE THE CHARIOT OUTFIT (INCLUDING SHOES) (I WILL TAKE THE BEST ONE BETWEEN YOU AND THE PERSON WHO SUBMITS THE DISTRICT PARTNER, BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO MATCH):**

**HOW THE TRIBUTE REACTS WHILE ON THE CHARIOT:**

**HOW THE CROWD REACTS TO THE TRIBUTE:**

**HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE OTHER TRIBUTES: **

**WHAT WEAPONS THEY TRAIN WITH:**

**WHAT NON WEAPON STATIONS THEY VISIT:**

**HOW PROFICIENT THEY ARE WITH WEAPONS:**

**HOW GOOD THEY ARE AT NON WEAPON SKILLS:**

**ANY PRIOR SKILLS THEY PICKED UP (WEAPON OR NON WEAPON): ex—Katniss knows about berries from hunting, and Cato knows about spears from training.**

**WHAT YOU HOPE THEIR TRAINING SCORE IS RELATIVE TO OTHER TRIBUTES (I MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE IT): ex: Julia's score will hopefully be an eight, around the middle of what the other tributes got. Or—Sophie's score might be a ten, the highest score of any tribute. Or—Justin's score was a five, the lowest anybody got.**

**INTERVIEW OUTFIT (INCLUDING SHOES):**

**LEVEL OF NERVES BEFORE INTERVIEW:**

**CROWD REACTION AS TRIBUTE WALKS OUT ONTO THE STAGE:**

**LEVEL OF NERVES ON STAGE:**

**FIVE QUESTIONS YOU WANT ASKED AND THE ANSWERS:**

**CROWD RESPONSE WHEN THE TRIBUTE WALKS OFF THE STAGE:**

**HOW THE MENTOR THINK THE TRIBUTE DID:**

_**~TrackerJackson**_


	24. Epilogue

**A/N: So, I'm sure you all read the chapter title, and are all like "Epilogue, what!?"**

**I typed the portion of Juliet in the Capital, and it was only about 1000 words so I decided to have her go home in this chapter. I hope it's not too rushed, but I hope you enjoy the last chapter in the fic!**

**Here is what has happened so far with the SYOT sequel—**

**The spots taken are D1 Boy, D3 Girl, D4 girl, D6 boy and girl, and D8 boy.**

**The tribute form is in the end of the chapter before this, and I hope you all keep submitting!**

**Enjoy the final chapter!**

_**Juliet O'Hare POV**_

The crowd cheers loudly as I am raised up onto the platform, eerily reminding me of the white plates used to raise me into the arena. This whole experience seems so surreal to me, and I can hardly believe that I'm standing where I am right now, with all my scars gone and every deformity gone from my body.

Even though I only killed one person in my time in the arena, several spirits still haunt me. Peach, of course, stares at me every night with the same startled expression from when I threw my sickle into her throat. Jasmine is there as well, with her bright eyes and loving smile, standing alongside with Oscar, who we left to die at the Cornucopia. Annabelle haunts me too, asking me why I didn't save her, and I never have an answer for her.

Cooper is always there, even in my waking hours. He follows me around, never talking, but always looking at me with his light teal eyes begging me to bring him back. He's here now, staring at me judgmentally as the Capital cheers me on. Follows me over to the ornate Victor's Thorne and stands beside me as I uncomfortably perch on the edge.

President Snow emerges from the eves, carrying the gold crown, laden with rubies, emeralds, and other gems. He walks over to me, with all of the Capital's eyes on him. He leans down and gently places the heavy, cold metal on my head and—just for a second—I see his slitted eyes gleam red. That must have just been the rubies reflecting in them… right?

"Congratulations," he whispers, but I know he doesn't mean it. I only killed one person in the arena. Victors are supposed to have killed more. Nawfar should have been the victor. I should have just let it happen. Everyone would have been happier if I had left Cooper alone and stayed in the canopy.

No. I can't think like that. The second I start doubting myself I will lose it and I _will not_ cry while on this stage. Although I am an expert at holding back tears.

_Oscar, Annabelle and I smash through the forest on our way back to our canopy. A canon has just gone off and we all think it might have been a Career. Annabelle and I are elated, not only because we have caught a squirrel, but also because we have gotten Oscar to admit his crush on Jasmine._

_His face is bright red, and I can tell he is regretting telling us, but hey—we can't help it… We're girls! I lean over and poke Annabelle, speaking in a voice loud enough for Oscar to head. "Hey, Annabelle, guess what I'm going to do when we get back to the shelter?"_

_She giggles, aware of what I'm doing, and loudly asks, "What?"_

"_I'm going to find a way to tell Jasmine how much Oscar loooo-ves her!"_

_We collapse in giggles and Oscar's face—which had just returned to a normal color—flares up in a burst of red._

_The shelter is in sight and I can see Cooper. Jasmine must be off going to the bathroom or whatever. Annabelle and I are still laughing when Cooper turns around, showing tear tracks and horror stamped in every part of his expression. He isn't looking at us, however. We follow his eyes down to the pools of blood we have unknowingly stepped in… Jasmine's blood._

_I almost scream, but hold it back at the last moment. Jasmine—the girl we were talking about just moments before—is now dead and on a hovercraft somewhere above the arena. I don't know what to say, so, I say nothing at all._

_That night, after everyone is asleep, I let a lone tear slide down my face, a tribute to Jasmine. I hold the rest back, however, because even though Jasmine is gone, I'm still in the Game. I have to look tough for the sponsors._

Now I hold them back because I won't give President Snow the satisfaction of knowing he has broken me. And he has broken me. I dream of the arena and dead people every night and Cooper is still standing there. Am I crazy? You tell me!

Caesar Flickerman sits next to me and gestures to my outfit. "Well Juliet, even after a few cuts and scrapes in the Arena, you still managed to emerge looking lovely as usual!"

I open my mouth, but no words come out. He's right, of course. As soon as I got out of the Arena, Opal, my stylist, jumped me, fixing scrapes and cuts even as tears for Cooper rolled down my face. Once we got back to the Capital she put me in my outfit. Apparently, I was deemed "mentally stable," so I wasn't given any days to recover from the Arena.

She put me in a long, floor length, navy blue gown, with diamonds in swirly shapes rising up from the bottom. I look like I have been dipped in water, and the diamonds will drip from the bottom of the gown at any moment.

I smile at Caesar until I find my voice. "Yeah, she did a really good job."

Caesar laughs as if I've said something funny, saving me from embarrassment. "Now, let's talk about what we all came here tonight to hear: The Arena."

The crowd cheers and I realize that I will be forced to talk, even though I don't want to. Luckily, Caesar starts me off. "You didn't kill anyone until all the tributes met at the mountain. That part was so suspenseful! I was literally washing my dog when I saw it on the television."

Other people in the crowd yell in agreement, and I catch the words of some people yelling where they were when they saw. I don't really know what to say, so I just say the first words that come to my mind. "I guess I never really had the opportunity, and, when I did, I was focused on getting supplies or rescuing…"

I trail off, but Caesar picks up on what I was about to say. "You were focused on rescuing Cooper?"

I nod silently, and the crowd cheers. Luckily, Caesar notices my hesitation, and skips right ahead to the recap. This part is the worst. I watch tribute after tribute being reaped, but all I see is what their faces looked like in the sky.

They reach District Six and show Cooper and my reaping with dramatic music in the background. I almost cry when I see Cooper, but I manage to hold it back. After that I try to zone out, and only look up when there is a particularly loud cheer from the crowd.

This happens for about an hour, until they show me being lifted up by the Hovercraft, tears running down my face.

A few more questions are thrown my way, but I give him one word answers until he gives up. He waves to me, the cameras, and the audience. "Goodnight Panem and congratulations to our newest Victor, Juliet O'Hare!"

I wave halfheartedly to the crowd and meet with my mentor, Julianna. She says nothing, and just wraps me in a bear hug.

"I wanna go home," I plead.

"I know, sweetie. I've already made arrangements. There is a train waiting for us right now if you want to leave."

I nod and she strokes my hair before letting go. "It gets better. It really does."

I thank her, and a car takes us to the train station. Thankfully, the camera crews haven't been alerted to my departure, so there isn't a crowd or cameras to hassle me. Once on the train, Cooper and I go to my room.

I sit on my bed with my head between my hands and stare at Cooper. Suddenly, I find this whole situation hilarious, and I start laughing hysterically. I turn to Cooper again. "Look at me! I'm actually talking to a dead person. I'm going crazy!"

To my surprise, Cooper shakes his head. "No you're not. People who are going insane think they are only getting saner. You went through a lot in the Arena, and your brain is just trying to cope with it. I will be here until you come to terms with what happened; no matter how long that takes."

I give him a watery smile, and lean back on my head, rubbing my eyes with my hands. "I just… I just want to go home."

Cooper comes over and sits next to me, his ghostly figure not making a dent on the bedspread. "I know you do. I want to as well. Even if it's hard for you, I want you to go to my funeral."

I start to cry for what seems like the billionth time in the last forty-two hours. "I can't, Cooper. I want to you remember you as the boy in the Arena, not the boy in the casket."

He pats my shoulder and, even though I can't feel it, I am somehow comforted.

I fall asleep with Cooper beside me, and sleep without the tributes' faces haunting my dreams.

The next morning Julianne wakes me with a gentle nudge. "Were a few minutes from District Three in case you want to change out of your interview outfit."

I look in the mirror, and realize she is right. My makeup has smudged and ran down my face from my tears and my dress is wrinkled and missing a few diamonds. I walk into the bathroom and wash my face, wiping away any traces of tears from the night before.

I change into a short sleeve, green shirt with long, fuzzy, black pants. I don't care how I look when I reach District Three. I think I've gone through enough pain in the past few weeks.

Cooper waits in my room when I step out, dressed in a suit. He shrugs and smiles when he sees me. "I can't help what I wear. This is the outfit The Capital gave me to be buried in."

I don't know how he says that with such a calm face. I guess I need him to be calm right now, so the figment of imagination that he is has been calm all night.

I shrug, not trusting to say anything without bursting into tears.

He looks at me sympathetically. "We have to go. District Six is waiting."

Cooper follows me out the door and Julianne leads me to the front of the train. She throws open the doors and I am greeted by the familiar sight and smell of District Six. Standing closest to me on the platform are Isaac, Victoria, my parents, and Ian.

Forgetting the Arena for a second I run to my parents first, wrapping them into a bear hug. I hug my siblings, Isaac and Victoria, next, all while laughing and crying at the same time. Ian greets me with a cautious smile, and holds his hands for a hug.

I laugh, with tears streaming down my face, and skip the hug and kiss him. He smiles through the kiss, and kisses me back, wrapping his arms around me and spinning me around. I can hear the cameras going crazy behind me, but I don't care. I'm finally home.

A couple of minutes later, after I finish saying hi to everyone I have ever known, I look up to find Cooper gone. I guess I've come to terms with it.

A week later I attend Cooper's funeral, but I don't give a speech. I just stand there silently, saying goodbye to the boy I loved.

I know that in weeks, days, or even hours, reality will come crashing down and I will be left helpless but, right now, I am prepared for anything President Snow throws at me. Looking around, I see myself surrounded by all the people who love me, and whom I love.

I am no longer Standing Alone.

**A/N: Oh My Panem it's over! I've never finished a story before, so this is a huge moment for me. I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed, and favorite this fic. You all mean the world to me, and I hope you submit to my SYOT. **

**My goal for this chapter is to get fifteen reviews. That would push me over into 200 reviews! I would like to thank all of you so much, I can't even express it.**

**Special thank yous to:**

**seanthesheep356 – You reviewed every chapter with something positive that encouraged me to keep posting. You are a wonderful reader, a talented author, and—dare I say it—a good friend.**

**LoopyLou1990- You reviewed often and was very supportive and grateful, even when your tribute died. Thank you for being a wonderful reader!**

**MoreThanLess- Because you reviewed chapters in lumps, I would sometimes wake up to find a dozen or so emails saying that I got reviews. It literally made my day and I want to thank you so much!**

**Tereki- You've been awesome from all the way back when you were Cricket the Clarinetist! I want to thank you for being such an avid reviewer and submitter, and I hope you keep it up in the sequel.**

**Wish on the Star- I hope I'm not getting repetitive, but you have also been an awesome reviewer! Thank you so much!**

**MaximumAngel1- You've been submitting to every contest and reviewing every chapter, and I just want to thank you for that.**

**Buttons301- You picked up late in the story, but ever since you've started reading the fic you've been wonderful, reviewing every chapter and submitting to my sequel! Thank you so much!**

**I cannot express how grateful I am for everyone and, if I forgot to mention you above, I just want to extend my deepest thanks and I hope you read the sequel!**

**Signing off for the last time for this fic,**

**~TrackerJackson**


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